Everyone But You
by Marka.Carbondale
Summary: AU. Jesse, Blaine, and Sam all attend Dalton Academy. It's no secret that Jesse has feelings for Blaine to anyone... except for Blaine. But when one Kurt Hummel transfers, that secret may be revealed-whether Jesse likes it or not. Blesse. Blam. Kum.
1. Chapter 1

**Everyone But You**

_Chapter One_

—xx—

Sam Evans wiped a fresh sheen of sweat from his brow, gripping his lacrosse stick as he desperately tried to catch his breath in the brisk, autumn air. His team ran off without him in practice, but he needed to take a breather before he could catch up with them. Just as he was about to run off again, a glint of light distracted him. He looked in the direction from whence it came, and then found himself distracted by someone moving a large, black trunk towards Williams House, the dorm that he lived in.

The boy was stately and built, not at all Samuel's type, and he frowned. Just as he was about to accept disappointment and return to practice, though, a smaller, more lithe boy strode confidently behind him. A smile instantly spread across his full lips when he saw a navy and red colored Dalton tie slung carelessly around his neck. This boy was more his style: shorter, thin, with a crop of perfectly styled brown hair atop his pale face.

Once again, Sam wiped sweat from his forehead, but this time, he was unsure if it was from his physical activity or in response from the boy entering his dorm hall. Entranced, he barely heard the calls from his teammates as they screamed at him to rejoin the game. He shook his head and tore his gaze away from the boy just as he disappeared into the building, and then ran down the field to return to practice.

Suddenly, his junior year just looked a little brighter.

—xx—

Jesse St. James poured over the algebra book in his hand, desperately trying to comprehend a jumbled up combination of letters and numbers that somehow combined to form an important equation. For some reason, math and his brain just did not get along. Admitting defeat, Jesse snapped his book shut and rose from his chair, deciding that his failure at being able to study alone was reason enough to go bother Blaine Anderson.

It was no secret that Jesse St. James had feelings for Blaine Anderson. No secret to anyone… except for Blaine Anderson.

Jesse made it very clear that he was interested in him nearly every day, from the moment the younger boy had transferred to Dalton and into his life. He did everything just short of looking him in the eye and saying, "I want you," to him to hint at him that he was interested; he gave him expensive gifts for his birthday and Christmas, sang him numerous solos during Warbler rehearsal, constantly defended him and cared for him, was always close to him and brushing against him "by accident."

Unfortunately enough for Jesse, Blaine was about as blind to these advances as a person could be. To call the boy oblivious would be a massive understatement—and it irritated Jesse to absolutely no end.

As he left his room, smirk planted on his lips, the senior found himself completely excited to see Blaine; to sit close to him and have him explain freshman math to him again, to brush his leg and hope that, for _once_, the boy would actually respond. He turned the corner to Blaine's room, but was stopped short when he saw someone he didn't recognize.

A scrawny, medium height boy was standing outside Blaine's dorm, holding two duffle bags. He had a Dalton tie slung carelessly around his neck, the only careless looking part of him, as the rest of him was impeccably put together. Jesse frowned at the unfamiliar boy. Then the door slammed open, and in an instant, he heard Blaine shout a jumble of words and then throw his arms around the unknown boy in a tight, loving hug.

Jesse scowled deeply as he watched the two interact, becoming angrier and angrier as he watched Blaine's excited smile grow and the boy across from him become comfortable and smile as well.

When Blaine slipped his hand into the boy's, the senior bared his teeth. He didn't know who this boy was, but he had just earned himself one enemy by the name of Jesse St. James.

—xx—

Blaine Anderson rubbed his temples and attempted to read the paragraph in his European History textbook a fifth time. Usually, he was able to focus and study fairly successfully, but at that moment, his focus seemed to be missing for some reason unbeknownst to him. Just as he was about to restart for a _sixth _time, three swift knocks came to his door and effectively completely broke his concentration. He groaned aloud and stood from his chair. He merely assumed it was Jesse, come to bother him and coerce him into helping him study for the exam he undoubtedly had that week.

Blaine threw the door open and was about to shoot the person behind it an especially scary death glare, but he was surprised to find Kurt Hummel standing on the other side of the door, looking flustered, yet still completely put together. Two hefty looking duffle bags sat on either side of him, and he had a tie with Dalton-colored stripes slung around his neck haphazardly. Blaine's scowl quickly spread into a wide smile and he threw his arms around Kurt in a tight hug without a second thought.

"Kurt! You're here early! Oh, I'm so glad you're here!" He released the boy and took a step back. "I mean, I'm not glad _why_ you're here… I'm sorry you had to transfer under such awful circumstances… but you're here! It's a blessing in disguise, I assure you, because I don't know about you, but I'm excited to live with my best friend." The sophomore boy grabbed Kurt's hand and yanked him inside the dorm room, leaving his two duffle bags to fend for themselves out in the hallway. Kurt stumbled in after him, still unable to fit a word in edgewise.

"You're gonna love it here, I promise, Kurt. Everyone here is nice and you won't ever have to worry about bullying ever again." He released the boy and sat on his bed, which was on the opposite side of the room as Kurt's bare bed. "I hope you know that I'm not going to let you sleep tonight, Kurt."

The older boy flushed at the unintentionally implied innuendo and took a seat on his bed. "Why is that, Blaine?" He finally managed.

"We're going to break in the room! Watch movies, eat snacks, talk; I have to tell you everything about Dalton, get you ready for your audition with the Warblers. We can sleep when we're dead!"

Kurt chuckled at his friend's enthusiasm. "Alright, alright. I guess I have no argument in this anyway. Just as long as—"

A loud rapping at the door interrupted the junior boy, and the two roommates both looked to the door. "Dammit, Kurt! Open the damn door!"

The two chuckled and Kurt jumped up to open the door and let his tall stepbrother in the room. "Calm down, Finn. Jeez."

"It's hard to carry all these clothes, I hope you know." He dropped a large, black and gold chest on the ground, and then groaned and cracked his back. "You owe me big time, bro." He looked around the room and whistled, "Damn, this room is nicer than the one at home! You hit the jackpot."

Blaine and Finn made awkward eye contact, and there was a moment of silence before the younger boy stepped forward with a smile. "I'm Blaine. Anderson. Your brother's roommate."

Finn smiled nervously and shrugged, "Finn Hudson. And it's step-brother."

At that moment, Burt and Carole walked through the open door with the remainder of Kurt's things. Burt had kicked the two duffels in the room and closed the door behind him. "Jeez, son. I don't think you brought enough stuff." He blew out a puff of air and tossed the backpack in his hand onto his son's bed.

"Oh, shush, dad. I didn't want to forget anything!" Kurt chuckled, then gestured to his best friend. "Dad, Carole, this is Blaine."

The younger boy stuck out a polite arm to signal a handshake and stated, "It's a pleasure to meet you, sir."

"Same to you, Blaine," Burt returned his handshake and grinned. "My son can't seem to shut up about you."

Kurt flushed behind Blaine and murmured something that sounded like, "shut _up_, dad."

Carole interrupted the embarrassing moment by introducing herself to the sophomore. "It's so nice to meet you, Blaine. I hope you'll take good care of our Kurt."

Blaine merely nodded in return with a smile.

"Alright, Kurt," Burt said, "Do ya have all your stuff?"

The junior boy nodded. "Can I just thank both of you again for this? I just can't seem to get across just how _appreciative _I am the fact that you gave up your honeymoon for me."

"Nonsense, son." Burt waved a hand in Kurt's face. "Your safety comes first. Remember that."

"Just consider it payment for our beautiful wedding, honey," Carole cut in. "_I_ can never thank _you_ enough for that."

Kurt flushed and nodded. He stepped forward and hugged each parent. "Thanks anyway. I promise I'll make it worth your while."

Burt smiled and ruffled his son's perfectly styled hair. "Well, then we're gonna make the drive back. Feel free to visit as many weekends as you want, kiddo." He hugged his son once more before making his exit.

"See ya, dude." Finn hugged his stepbrother and then followed Burt's leave, leaving Carole, Blaine, and Kurt in the room.

"Alright, boys. I have a housewarming gift for you both." She thrust the large cardboard box in her hands into Kurt's arms. "I want you to absolutely enjoy everything in this box as much as you can." She smiled at her ste-son. "And, Kurt, honey? Don't you worry one minute about the price of this place. Your father and I are just happy to see you happy. So, work hard and have fun." She looked over at his roommate. "You'll make sure of that, Blaine?"

The boy smiled and nodded enthusiastically. Carole hugged Kurt one more time and waved as she made her leave.

The door closed behind her, and Blaine and Kurt both took a long look at the cardboard box before simultaneously tearing it open. Inside, a collection of sugary and salty snacks, DVDs, and various treats greeted them. Blaine looked up at his best friend and grinned. "Ok, we're eating all of these snacks _tonight_."

"Are you kidding, Blaine? My diet will _not_ allow for that." Kurt scowled at him.

Blaine gave him a long stare, remaining silent.

The older boy sighed and acquiesced, "Okay, okay, just this once. I suppose we're celebrating."

Grinning from ear to ear, Blaine grabbed the junior's hand. "Welcome to Dalton Academy, Kurt."

—xx—

_So, basically you've got a drama-filled AU fic here, in which all four boys attend Dalton. There's not much more to explain outside of that. I've already got ten chapters done, so hopefully that ensures that you'll have steady updates. I hope you like it!_

_Maria_


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter Two_

—_xx—_

Jesse lay on his bed, absentmindedly skimming the contents of his well-worn copy of _Death of a Salesman_. He had given up his weak attempts at studying algebra once it appeared that he would not be able to get help from Blaine, and was wasting time by half-reading his favorite play for the umpteenth time.

The other half of his attention was focused on silently seething at the unknown boy who was undoubtedly still in Blaine's room. He could only assume that the boy was Blaine's new roommate, but he could see that there was more there than just sharing a living space. The younger boy had never hugged Jesse in such a way, had never grabbed his hand like that, or spoken so enthusiastically to him. Comparing himself to this stranger was only driving him further into his funk; so far, in fact, that he found himself completely consumed by it, and when his dorm room door slammed open, he jumped in his bed and nearly threw his book across the room.

A grinning Sam Evans, still covered in a thick layer of sweat, strode through the door and immediately burst out into laughter when he saw his roommate and best friend laying sprawled across his bed with a frightened look on his face.

"Jesse, what the hell are you doing, dude?"

The older boy scowled deeply and regained his composure. "I _was_ reading, Samuel, when you decided to come bursting in here at a decibel higher than necessary. Must you do everything with so much _force_?" He narrowed a glare at the boy and didn't give him a chance to answer. "Where the hell have you been, anyway?"

Sam shed his shirt and tossed it across the room towards his bed, where a pile of dirty clothes had been accumulating for nearly two weeks. "Lacrosse practice. You know that."

Jesse raised an eyebrow and glanced at his watch. "Samuel, it's well after midnight. Surely you weren't out on the field for _seven hours_."

The blonde boy chuckled as he yanked a towel from the crumpled pile in his closet, sniffing it. "Okay, okay. I stayed after to lift." He made a face at the towel, but shrugged and threw it over his shoulder. "What are you, my mom?"

Jesse didn't answer, but merely made a disgusted face at him. "Are you entirely certain that you're a homosexual, Sam?"

The junior boy chuckled genuinely and nodded. "Oh, definitely, Jesse. I'm 100%, absolutely gay."

Jesse frowned, then lay back on his bed to focus on his play once again. "Could have fooled me."

Sam just laughed and then moved towards his friend's bed. "So, there's a new kid."

"I know," Jesse remained focused on the letters on the page that he wasn't reading. "I don't like him."

"Brunette? Pale? About yay high?" He gestured to a height shorter than his own.

The senior boy didn't glance over, he just repeated himself. "Yes. I know. _I don't like him_." He paused thoughtfully for a moment. "I believe he is roommates with Blaine."

Samuel grinned slowly when he made the connection between Jesse's two previous statements. "_Oh_. I get it. You're _jealous,_ Jesse."

This time, Jesse did lower his book and sat up. "False. That is absolutely not the reason."

"So, is this new kid his boyfriend or something?" Sam inquired.

Jesse growled softly. "I don't know, Sam. Why don't you go ask him? Why… are _you_ jealous?"

The boy shrugged and smiled lopsidedly. "Maybe. He's pretty cute."

From his bed, the senior's eyes flew open. "_Blaine_?" He held a hand up towards him, as if to signal his best friend to stop. "_Please_ don't tell me you want to get back together with him."

"God, you're a friggen jealous wreck, Jesse." Sam laughed heartily and reassured him, "No, of course not. Don't worry your curly little head. I meant the new kid—you think he's Blaine's boyfriend?" He frowned almost disappointingly.

"I don't know, Samuel. Blaine has never even mentioned anyone that he knows outside of Dalton, let alone a new roommate." Jesse lay back on the bed and sighed thoughtfully. "I would like to believe that being his oldest friend here, and one that he _must_ have feelings for, that he would tell me if he was dating someone."

Sam rolled his eyes and moved towards the door. "Dude, I know I've told you this about six thousand times, but you gotta be _direct_ with Blaine. He's, like, smart, but he's a damned _idiot_ when it comes to romance. I've never met someone so oblivious. Do you think he knew I liked him back then because I beat around the bush like you've been for the last year and a half? Of course not. I told him, to his face, that I was interested. That's the only way to get through to him."

Jesse maturely responded. "Whatever."

"Are you _scarrreddd_, Jesse?" Sam tossed his slightly dirty towel on the corner of Jesse's bed and approached him, "You scared of little, hobbit Blaine breaking your superstar, asshole heart?" Jumping on top of his best friend, he began to wrestle him against his will. "How _cuuuuteeee!"_

"God… dammit…. Samuel, you smell fucking _awful!_" Jesse attempted to shove Sam off of him, but despite the fact that the boy was younger, Jesse was no match for his carefully sculpted muscles and their strength. "_Samuel, get off of me!_"

The junior boy chuckled but obeyed. "That is _adorable_, Jesse! Scared of little Blaine Warbler. Oh, I'm gonna tell everyone, tell everyone that you're scared of a five-foot-five, sixteen- year-old, acapella singer." He moved towards the door and threw it open. "HEY, WILLIAMS HALL! JESSE ST. JAMES IS SCARED OF—"

Jesse sat up and threw his paperback hard at the back of Sam's head, effectively silencing him. The younger boy turned and stuck his tongue out him. "You know I'm right, Jesse. I just can't figure out why you won't just _make a damn move_."

"Just go take your damn shower, won't you?" Jesse bared his teeth, scaring his roommate out of his room. The door slammed behind him with a_ bang_, and suddenly, he was alone.

In all honesty, the older boy _knew _his best friend was right. It was not an exaggeration to say that every other Warbler knew that he was interested in Blaine, yet the boy himself couldn't seem to see it. Jesse knew that he needed to just come forward and say it, but he _was_ scared. He was Blaine's first friend when he transferred with Sam, and the two were close because of that. What _if_ he came forward with his feelings—laid it out on the line—and Blaine rejected him? Would Blaine feel uncomfortable with him? Would he distance himself?

Just the possibility alone of a life without him broke his heart. There was nothing, other than his best friendship with Sam, that he treasured more than the confidence that Blaine had in sharing things with him, in the way he felt like he could be close and comfortable with him.

It was just becoming more and more difficult for Jesse to stand by and play the part of the friend when he longed to kiss him, wanted to hold him, wished to call him his own. He wanted to tell him his feelings, confess them and finally have them returned.

But, if Blaine didn't return the feelings and rejected him, ruining their friendship, Jesse would never forgive himself. He knew that he preferred having Blaine as only a friend forever a thousand times over not having him at all.

—xx—

"Oh, god, Blaine _stop_," Kurt heaved a breath as his roommate shoved another gummy worm in his already-full mouth. "Seriously, Blaine I can't breathe, you're making me laugh too hard!"

"Mmph, mmph mmph mmmmmmph?" Blaine attempted, his mouth hardly moving against the candy in his mouth.

Kurt snorted and leaned forward in laughter as his best friend started to chew with little success. "What is _wrong_ with you?"

Just as Blaine was going to try and fail at another sentence, a strong, single knock came to the door. The two boys made eye contact, the broke into a fresh round of laughter. Kurt left the younger boy to try to eat the candy in his mouth as he stumbled to the door, eyes still watering from laughter. He threw it open and immediately said, in a tone almost too familiar and feminine for his own taste, "_Heellllooooo, _I'm afraid Mr. Anderson and I are not accepting suitors at such a late hour."

Then, he noticed the boy behind the door and immediately became stoic and flushed bright pink. Sam Evans chuckled and waved at Blaine over Kurt's shoulder, unfazed at his struggle with the gummy worms. "So, you're Blaine's new roommate, then?" He invited himself in the room, slapping Kurt on the shoulder lightly as he walked by. "I'm Sam, by the way." Making eye contact with the sophomore boy on the floor, he added, "Blaine, are you almost finished down there?"

Blaine half grinned through the candy in response, then returned to his chewing.

Sam smiled lopsidedly at him and then turned to face Kurt again. "So, who are you?"

Kurt, still bright pink, managed to introduce himself at a loud enough volume, "Kurt Hummel, Sam. It's nice to meet you." The shorter boy cleared his throat and quirked an eyebrow at him. "It's a little late for you to be popping in, don't you think?"

The blonde waved a hand in his face and shrugged. "Nah. Besides, I could hear down the hall how loud the two of you were being and I had to come see what the hell was going on."

Frowning, Kurt found himself a little surprised at Sam's lack of reaction at his sass. Just as he was about to test him again, Blaine had managed to finish his candy and returned to his feet. "Kurt's my new roommate," he said, entering the conversation, "he transferred from Lima yesterday."

Sam's eyebrows flew up in surprise. "Yesterday? That's kinda quick, don't you think?"

Kurt shrugged, not completely willing to spill his McKinley horror story with a stranger. "It was good timing, I assure you, Samuel."

The taller boy leaned in, almost too close for Kurt's comfort, and half-purred, "I sure hope so, Hummel."

Blaine chuckled and pushed the two apart, "Okay, okay. Stop it, Sam. You're gonna scare the crap out of him before his first day of class even gets here."

Obediently, Sam stepped back and shrugged his shoulders, shoving his fists in the pockets of his pajama pants. "So, this _isn't_ your boyfriend, then, Blaine? Jesse seems pretty convinced that you've moved your new lover into your room."

Kurt had, by then, flushed beyond pink well into cardinal red, and stared down at his feet.

"Sam, you have got to stop, you are going to literally kill my roommate by embarrassing him. And no," he added, "we're not dating. Why would Jesse even wonder—or care—about that?"

Sam stared incredulously for a split second before laughing. "Oh, you know Jesse. Always over-protective of you."

"Who's Jesse?" Kurt spoke up, the color almost gone from his face.

The two boys exchanged a long look before Sam looked at Kurt and answered, "he's my roommate, and my best friend." He bit his tongue at the long list of _other_ things Jesse was that he could have shared.

"He's a Warbler, too. Third lead," Blaine interjected, "behind myself and Samuel."

Kurt's eyebrows jumped at the news that Sam was not only a Warbler, but also a lead. He studied Sam for the first time and smiled. He tried to mask his attraction with a bitch face, but he had a feeling that it came out more like confused, because Sam was now looking at him with a frown. "Is that a problem, Hummel?"

Kurt laughed nervously. "It might be for you when I _steal_ that part from you, Samuel."

When Sam joined him in laughter, Kurt's shoulders slumped in relief. "You're a singer, too? Awesome!"

"A counter-tenor, even, Sam." Blaine grinned in a proud sort of way. "I think David and Wes are gonna lose it when he auditions."

"Well, good luck, dude," he patted Kurt on the shoulder, and then let his hand linger there. "It's good to have you here. I'm in room 189 if you need me, just around the corner."

Sam shot a smile to Blaine and then exited the room with a careless wave thrown over his shoulder. The two boys exchanged looks in silent communication, and Blaine smiled at his friend. "So, Sam, huh?"

"So, Sam." Kurt responded, revealing absolutely nothing.

"Cute, huh? I think he likes you." Blaine took a seat back on his bed, facing away from Kurt as he said it.

Kurt just laughed and sat back on the rug on the floor, "No, no, no way. There is absolutely no way I'm his type." He paused thoughtfully and then asked, "Wait—he's gay?"

Blaine nodded as he worked open a bag of potato chips. "Oh, definitely. 100%."

"Interesting," the junior boy murmured to no one in particular. "Interesting."

_ —xx—_

_ I hope y'all are enjoying it! I'm trying to keep updates pretty steady, so please keep reading! _

_ maria_


	3. Chapter 3

_Chapter Three_

—xx—

The halls of Dalton were long. And similar looking. And incredibly hard to maneuver. Kurt found himself wandering through them in his robe for a full twenty minutes after his first shower, unable to relocate his dorm room. The boy eventually found the dorms that were close in number to his own room, passing 195… then 194… and he quickened his pace as finally found his way.

And then ran smack into Sam Evans as he exited room 189 in his workout clothes.

Kurt stumbled back, flushing and apologizing profusely. "Oh, my god, I'm sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going."

Sam grinned and gave the boy an obvious once over. "No worries, Kurt. But, I have to ask," he hoisted his duffle bag higher on his shoulder, "do you make a habit of wandering the halls naked?"

Kurt's eyebrows narrowed and he puffed out his cheeks. "Well, that's rude. Of course not! I just got lost on the way back from the shower!"

Sam grinned and was about to speak, when the door behind him swung open. "Good _lord_, Samuel! Do you always find it necessary to make so much noise _wherever _you go? I'm personally trying to—" Jesse stopped short, making eye contact with Kurt Hummel. "You. What are you doing in front of my door… naked?"

"Is everyone at this school so unnecessarily _rude_?" Kurt exclaimed, "I just got lost! It's my second day here!"

Jesse quirked an amused eyebrow and looked down, condescendingly, at Kurt. "_Lost?_" He jibed, "What are you, six years old? Need I find your daddy to come grab your hand to lead the way?"

Kurt flushed red with anger. "Who the hell do you think you are, talking to me like that?"

"Someone you don't want to make angrier," Jesse stated flatly, and then he turned to his roommate. "Kindly keep it the hell down. I'm attempting to take my afternoon nap, and your jabbering is grating."

The door swung shut, leaving the two boys in silence, staring after him.

"What… how… _who_…?" Kurt stumbled over his words in his distracting anger as he began to walk back to his room, Sam following behind him.

Samuel just laughed, "That's my roommate, Jesse. It doesn't seem like he likes you too much. That sucks pretty bad, dude."

"How could he? What could I have possibly done in the span of twenty seconds?" Exasperated, Kurt ran a hand through his hair.

"Who knows why Jesse does any of the stuff he does," Samuel lied, knowing exactly why Jesse had acted the way he had. "He's a mysterious dude."

"Well, I didn't run from one bully just to be faced with another one. I'm not about to let _anyone_ treat me like that, regardless of their reasons." Kurt blew out a swift breath of air as the two stopped in front of his own door. "How do you deal with him?"

"My best advice, for now, is to stay out of his way." Sam stated, and then added, "and, um, maybe don't make any physical contact with Blaine around him."

"What? Why?" Kurt raised an eyebrow. "What the hell does that have to do with anything?"

"Just, er, just trust me on this one," he said, loyal to his best friend's bizarre need to keep his poorly kept secret from people. "And be careful not to be loud and naked outside our door anymore. At least," Sam grinned hard and stepped in close, "at least not when Jesse's there."

Kurt flushed and froze, stunned, unable to react or even move long after Sam took his leave and walked away down the hall.

—xx—

The sound of the chorus of Death Cab for Cutie's _Crooked Teeth_ spilling from his phone's speaker roused Jesse from his nap. He yawned and felt around for his phone. Normally, such a disruption would be immediately ignored by the boy and he would fall back into his slumber. However, the ringtone belonged to one Blaine Anderson so he readily awoke to read it.

_So, I know for a fact that you've got an Algebra exam this Monday, yet you haven't shown your face around here. Not gonna make me teach you this time around? :p_

Jesse grinned both at the message and at Blaine's usual impeccable texting etiquette. Eagerly, he replied, _lol you seemed kinda busy with your new roommate. didn't wanna bother you ;)._

He climbed out of bed, tucking his phone in his pocket. Glancing at the time, he noted that Sam had, once again, been missing later than his stated duration and he frowned. However, his smile returned when his phone sang to him again.

_Jesse, you and I both know that you've never been concerned with bothering me. Now are you going to get down here and study with me, or am I going to have to come get you?_

Jesse laughed aloud this time, trying to imagine the short boy forcing him to go anywhere. Then again, he had to admit to himself that he wouldn't need to be forced, as long as Blaine was going there with him.

He shook his head. Okay, that was cheesy, even for thoughts about Blaine. Still, he replied, _hold your damn horses blainers i'll be down in a minute. _

Hastily, he raked a hand through his curls and grabbed his Algebra book. He jogged down the hallway with a goofy, embarrassing smile on his face, and then entered Blaine's room without even so much as a knock.

The boy in question grinned at him as he entered the room. "Blainers?" He jabs, "When did we start with that one, hm?"

Jesse shrugged and took a seat at the table Blaine is working at. "Your sister used it so profusely at your house last time I had visited, I suppose I just picked it up."

Blaine narrowed a glance at his friend and sighed. "Oh, good. So now you're going to start picking up habits from Victoria? I couldn't be more thrilled."

Jesse laughed and opened his Algebra book to the dog-eared page he had been having issues with. When Blaine spotted the subject matter, he groaned aloud. "Are you actually serious right now, Jesse? Quadratics? Again?" He turned to frown at him, "This has to be the third time we're going over this."

The older boy shot a lopsided frown at his friend in frustration. "Didn't traverse down here to have you chastise me, Blaine. I'm not about to stick around for a tutoring session if your intent is to lecture me as well," he bluffed. "I can just ask someone else for help."

"Okay, okay." Much to Jesse's delight, Blaine scooted in closer; close enough to smell his cologne and to hear his soft breathing. No wonder Jesse hadn't learned the lesson yet—how was he supposed to concentrate under such conditions? "Now look, see what I've done here? Jesse?" Blaine had continued talking, but he paused when he noticed his friend staring at him. "Jesse, what are you looking at? Do I have something on my face?"

Jesse chuckled, effectively returned back to reality. "No, of course not, Blaine. I've just had a long day." He looked down, "Ok, so how did you come to this answer?" He subtly rested his knee against Blaine's, enjoying the surge of warmth that echoed through his body at the touch.

Blaine did not react, merely pointed to the paper. "Jesse, I have taught you FOIL at least six times. First, outer, inner, last. Expand the problem, then combine." He looked up at his friend and quirked an eyebrow, "God, Jesse, I just don't get how you haven't learned this yet. You're so good at _all_ your other courses."

_Well, _Jesse thought to himself, _you don't teach all my other classes and distract me from actually learning_.

"I just don't quite understand this subject, Blaine. No need to tear me down." He sighed and leaned forward on his hand, gazing into his eyes.

Blaine, once again, remained oblivious. "Can you stop? You're freaking me out."

Rolling his eyes, Jesse obliged and focused on the page as Blaine carefully and slowly explained the lesson in high detail. Honestly, Blaine was an excellent tutor. If not for his feelings, Jesse was sure that he would have picked up this lesson quickly, but he was far too easily distracted by all of Blaine's physical qualities, his syntax, his movements.

Once Jesse finally began to pick it up, Blaine smiled widely and announced that they needed to take a break. "Finally, you've got it. This calls for a snack." The boy bounded from his chair and his older friend stared after him, fighting the chuckles that were in response to just how cute he happened to find the sophomore.

"So…" Jesse trailed off, "…you've a new roommate, then?"

Blaine paused for a moment, then continued rifling through his closet for whatever it was he was looking for. "Yeah. I've heard you're not too fond of him." Poking his head outside of the closet, he looked at his friend, "Mind explaining that one to me?"

"Now, where did you hear that bit of misinformation? Samuel?" Jesse forced a laugh, "You know how that boy is—always jumping to conclusions. I assure you that I have no feelings of adversity for your roommate. I know too little about him to have any opinion yet."

"Really?" Blaine said as he returned to the table with a bag of chips in hand. "Because Kurt personally told me how you insulted, then threatened him." He frowned disapprovingly. "For what reason would you possibly say such a thing?"

Jesse waved a hand as if to brush off the incident. "I'm sure I was just irritated and cranky from my idiot best friend waking me from my nap. You know I don't react well to being awoken abruptly, and I have trouble not taking that out on friends and strangers alike."

Blaine tore open the bag of chips and grabbed a handful. "Well, Kurt was pretty angry and hurt about it. I think you should apologize to him. He's my best friend."

Ouch. That hurt.

"If it makes you happy, Blainers, I assure you I will do whatever it takes." He frowned lopsidedly, "but why have I never heard of this kid before? You suddenly have a new best friend and your oldest friend at the school doesn't even know?"

"We only met a couple weeks ago when he spied on the Warblers. I don't know, we just connected." He shrugged nonchalantly, "I didn't really think it was worth bringing up."

Jesse stared hard at Blaine, trying to read him. Trouble was, of all the talents the St. James boy possessed, figuring out Blaine's thought processes felt impossibly short. He couldn't figure out what Kurt's place in his mind was—if he was interested him or if they truly only had a permanently platonic relationship.

"What? _What?_" Blaine looked around, "Why are you _always _looking at me like that?"

For a moment, Jesse considered just saying it: _Because I want you more than anything in the world_, and brushed off the worries that reminded him of very real consequences. He opened his mouth, "Be—"

The door behind him swung open and stole Blaine's attention, and the words in Jesse's mouth right along with it. In the doorway, Kurt Hummel stood in his Dalton uniform. His face immediately hardened upon seeing Jesse in his room.

"Oh, good!" Blaine announced, breaking the already building tension, "you're here. Now Jesse can say what he has to say."

"Oh, boy, lucky me," Kurt drawled, not breaking eye contact with their guest, "what now: more insults and threats?"

Blaine shot a stern look at Jesse, who rolled his eyes and rose to stride over towards Kurt. "I apologize for my actions and words earlier, Kurt. I assure you they were said in haste and frustration at being roused from my nap." He stuck a hand out to him in handshake.

Kurt considered both the older boy's words and his gesture before gingerly taking his hand and shaking it twice. "Alright. I suppose it happens to the best of us. What's going on here, anyway?"

"Just a bit of a study session," Blaine said, contented enough with the exchange. "We were actually taking a break."

"Actually," Jesse cut in, "I think I will make my leave at this point. I understand the lesson well enough, Blainers." He winked at him and placed a strong hand on his shoulder, "Thanks so much. I don't know what I'd do without you."

As Jesse left, Blaine followed him out the door, closing it behind him. Just as Jesse was about to leave, his younger friend grabbed his wrist and pulled him back. "Hold up. You were just about to say something about why you stare at me all the time. Answer me."

If it were in his character for him to do so, Jesse would have flushed pink at the demand. The senior, however, with his many years of performance arts training, masked his emotions easily, despite Sam's advice echoing the back of his mind, urging him to be direct. Blaine's hand on his wrist nearly convinced him; his hopeful eyes and tiny pout nearly formed words in his mouth, but instead he shook his head.

"Because, Blaine…" Jesse lifted his hand to brush it over Blaine's cheek, but then dropped it and sighed, "…I'm just very happy to be your friend."

Blaine screwed his face up in confusion but wasn't given a chance to ask what that meant, since Jesse quickly made his leave after his statement. As the senior walked down the hallway and around the corner to his room, he felt empty, his feet dragging right up until he reached his dorm and was lying in bed.

Staring at the ceiling, he wondered if the boy who preached courage would ever lend some to him, if only so Jesse could finally confess that he wanted him.

—xx—

_ Occasionally, I worry that I've made Jesse too angry. But, then I remember that I haven't a fuck to give._

_ Enjoy your early update!_

_ Maria_


	4. Chapter 4

_Chapter Four_

—xx—

Jesse scowled outside of Blaine's door and took another look at his watch. Sighing deeply, he shrugged his shoulders and admitted defeat, and finally walked away. Normally, the two walked to their weekend Warbler rehearsals together, but it seemed as though Blaine had forgotten this little detail on that particular day. Somehow, Jesse knew this was Kurt's fault and added another tally to the list of reasons—mostly imaginary—that he didn't care for him.

Just as he was plotting ways to distance the new boy from his roommate, a padding of feet on the marble floors came from behind him. "Jesse!" He heard Sam call, "Jesse, wait up!"

The senior paused and turned slowly to face his friend. "You're running a bit late, Samuel, had you noticed? I suppose not, since it's only the tenth time _in a row_ that you are." When the boy caught up to him, Jesse assessed him with a disapproving look. "How have you made it this far in the year without being reprimanded for your disheveled uniform?"

Sam grinned and smoothed out his wrinkled shirt, which did nothing to improve its state, only rivaled by his crumpled blazer. His tie was so loosely wrapped around his neck that it appeared as though it might slip off at any moment. "I have, actually." The two began to walk together in the direction of the Warbler lounge, and the blonde continued, "I got four detentions this year so far—working on a new record."

Jesse narrowed a judgmental glare at his best friend. "You are the least homosexual gay man I have ever had the supreme displeasure of knowing."

Sam just chuckled. "And you are easily the sweetest kid I've ever met. Seriously, I just don't get how you don't have more friends, dude."

"That's rude," the older boy responded, "and entirely unnecessary. I don't have more friends because I don't care to. People are obnoxious and annoying." He gestured towards Sam, "Prime example number one."

The blonde boy shrugged and shoved his hands in the pockets of his slacks, which had the appearance of an article of clothing that had been pulled from a very tightly packed dumpster.

Jesse smiled and chuckled down at the floor as he mimicked his friend and stuck his hands into his pockets as well. He knew that their friendship made little sense, if any at all. Jesse couldn't count the number of reasons that they were polar opposites. Sam's laid back demeanor, his disgusting messes, the fact that he was a multi-sport athlete, and didn't give a damn about the performing arts, all of it was exactly different from how Jesse was. And, yet, the two had connected faster than Jesse could recall doing so with any other person in his past—even including Blaine. It was hard not to like Sam. Despite the fact that he had to deal with and often clean his messes on a near-daily basis, the boy was sweet and caring and he had a sense of humor that was unique. There was also the undeniable fact that Sam could read him like a book, and he didn't put up with or get offended with his attitude, which was garbage.

Jesse liked to think the two complimented each other.

When they pushed open the doors to the lounge, it appeared as though they were the very last Warblers to arrive. All of the other members were seated in their respective couches and chairs, and it looked like Wes was just about to make an announcement. Quietly, Sam and Jesse took a seat next to Jeff and Nick.

"Alright, now that we're all here," he narrowed a look at the late members, "we have a rather exciting announcement to make. As we all are aware of the fact that we have been short a member this year, it seems as though we've been lucky enough to not only have a new auditioner, but one with a very unique voice!"

Jesse raised an eyebrow at Sam, who grinned and nodded his head towards the direction of Blaine and Kurt, who sat uncomfortably close across the room. The senior's scowl returned with a vengeance, suddenly aware of why his friend didn't accompany him on his walk to rehearsal that Saturday.

Wes gestured in the same direction and smiled, "Gentleman, I present Kurt Hummel."

The boy in question hopped to his feet and grinned. "Hello, Warblers! I can't tell you just how pleased I am to be here. My last glee club was less than satisfying, so it will be nice to be with a group that has an acceptable amount of talent in relation to the drama." The boy chuckled along with a few of the boys in the room. "Today, I'll be auditioning with the song _I Can Hear the Bells_ from the timeless musical, Hairspray."

Jesse quirked a judgmental eyebrow, and then leaned into his best friend. "Is he actually serious? He's going to sing from Hairspray?"

Sam murmured in response, "What is Hairspray?"

The older boy turned to him to frown at him disapprovingly for a very long moment. "This song is typically sung by a woman, Samuel."

"Oh? Huh." Sam shrugged and murmured, "Well, this kid is as gay as the day is long in the summertime, so I'm really not surprised."

Jesse snorted at the horrible analogy, causing the boys sitting around him to look over and for Kurt to shoot a bitch face at him. Never embarrassed, Jesse made solid eye contact with the new student and smirked.

"Alright, Kurt," Wes cut in, "That's a rather risky and interesting choice. Let's hear it."

Kurt's glare lingered on Jesse for a moment before he turned to the council member and nodded with a smile. He opened his mouth, and Jesse's eyes went wide when he began to sing, acapella.

"_I can hear the bells"_

Kurt paused, and Blaine grinned and filled in the blank, "Kurt, are you feeling okay?"

"_Well… don't you hear 'em chime?"_

"I… don't hear anything." Kurt looked down at him and smirked.

"_Can't you feel my heartbeat_

_Keeping perfect time?"_

The entire room had matching surprised looks on their faces, save for Blaine, and Kurt swelled with pride as he started to move around the room to the song, gesturing along with the lyrics.

"_And all because he touched me_

_He looked at me and stared_

_Yes, he bumped me_

_My heart was unprepared"_

The Warblers all found the key and began to harmonize and sing behind him, some even getting out of their seats to move with the music. Even Jesse had to join in; despite his irrational distaste for Kurt Hummel, he was a performer and he couldn't deny talent.

"_When he tapped me,"_

Blaine had gotten to his feet to join his best friend in acting out the song, true to the musical. Kurt tapped him on the shoulder along with the song, and Blaine dramatically fell back into his seat.

"_And knocked me off my feet_

_One little touch_

_Now my life's complete"_

Filled with a new confidence, Kurt bravely strode over to Sam Evans and pulled him to his feet to sing to him next.What he didn't expect was for the blonde to join in, without lyrics, humming in his smooth, gorgeous tenor.

"_'Cause when he nudged me,"_

Sam grinned and pushed him lightly with his shoulder, and Kurt stuck his tongue out and pushed him back into his seat.

"_Love put me in a fix_

_Yes, it hit me_

_Just like a ton of bricks"_

By this point, the entire club was singing along, and the junior boy felt a swell of warmth and _belonging_ that he had honestly never felt before. He turned around to smile genuinely at Blaine, almost in thanks.

"_Yes my heart burst_

_Now I know what life's about_

_One little touch_

_And love's knocked me out_

"_And I can hear the bells_

_My head is spinning_

_I can hear the bells_

_Something's beginning_

"_Everybody says_

_That a boy who looks like me_

_Can't win his love_

_Well, just wait and see"_

Kurt had circled the whole room by now, and was taking turns serenading the boys in the room, who reacted with chuckles and giggles, all of them enthralled with the auditoner's performance. All of them, except Jesse, who was singing along, but still managed to scowl.

"_'Cause I can hear the bells_

_Just hear them chiming_

_I can hear the bells_

_My temperature's climbing_

"_I can't contain my joy_

_'Cause I finally found the boy_

_I've been missing_

_Listen!"_

Kurt paused dramatically, causing the boys that were still singing along to hold their chord in anticipation. He looked around, mouth still open from the last note. He raised his hands, almost as if to conduct the Warblers, who all smiled a little while singing. Finally, when Kurt had gotten his fill, he continued,

"_I can hear the bells."_

When Kurt bowed, the majority of the boys followed Sam as he jumped to his feet and led an uproarious applause. Jesse remained seated, then looked across the room to see Blaine, also still sitting. The sophomore made eye contact with him as he was clapping, and raised an eyebrow at his friend with a smile, as if to communicate, _he's something else, isn't he?_

Unfortunately, Jesse agreed. As much as he wanted to dislike everything about Kurt, for whatever reasons, the boy had an impressive voice.

David stood and announced, "Alright, not that we believe it's necessary, but let us put it to a vote, Warblers. Shall we induct Kurt?"

Every hand shot into the air, Jesse's included. Sure, he wasn't fond of the kid, but he was a talent, and Jesse was a singer first and an asshole second. Kurt was going to absolutely improve the group with his enthusiasm and unique voice. If anything, his performance had made Jesse dislike him less, if only a little.

However, when Blaine jumped to his feet and enveloped him in a hug,that thought vanished in a millisecond. Kurt froze, remembering Sam's advice and almost looked scared when he could _feel_ Jesse's death glare in the back of his head. The junior boy breathed a sigh of relief when his friend released him, then quickly bounded up to the council's table when they called for him. Jesse took advantage of this and stood from his seat to claim Kurt's, next to Blaine.

"Blainers, you seemed to have forgotten something."

"Jesse! Kurt was so great, don't you think?" He beamed, but then processed what his friend said. His face screwed up in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"It's Saturday, Blaine. We've only walked together to Saturday rehearsals for over a year. It appeared that you failed to notify me that you cancelled today, when I waited a long fifteen minutes outside your door."

"Oh, god, Jesse, I completely forgot." He frowned adorably, and secretly, all was forgiven by Jesse. "Sorry, Kurt wanted to get here early to talk to the council, and he was afraid he'd get lost. I just completely spaced."

Jesse smiled softly and placed a hand on his knee. He could almost _feel_ the grins and stares from a handful of Warblers, Sam included. "It's fine, Blaine. Don't give it a second thought."

Blaine glanced at the hand touching him, but didn't say anything about it. "I still feel bad..." he looked back up at his friend, "Can I make it up to you, somehow? How about a movie tonight?"

Jesse quirked an eyebrow. "Whatever quells your guilt, Blaine, then I'm on board."

Blaine smiled, and Jesse controlled his instinct to completely melt as the younger boy began to speak. "So, Kurt was pretty great, right? He's going to be such a great addition to the Warblers, and just in time for sectionals!"

In response, the other boy frowned crookedly. "Okay, tell me: what is exactly going on between the two of you?"

Confused, Blaine replied to his question with one of his own, "What do you mean?"

"Oh, please, Blainers, don't play dumb." Jesse moved in closer, "Are you into him? You trying to make your friendship into something more? Spill."

"Of course not," Blaine answered flatly. "Although, I'm not sure what it has to do with you, but we're friends, I assure you."

"And him? Is he interested in you?"

The younger boy gave his friend a very confused, questioning look. "Jeez, Jesse, what is this all about? No, he's not, unless I happen to be six foot and blonde." He jerked his thumb in the direction of Sam Evans with a frown, who appeared to be doing an impression for an extremely amused Jeff. "Kurt is all about the Sam."

Jesse did his best not to sigh in relief. Still, he didn't seem entirely convinced. Even if Blaine wasn't interested in Kurt—which he still doubted, he was an oblivious idiot—there was no way that he'd notice that his roommate wanted him if he was still unaware of Jesse's feelings for him. The senior looked over at the newest Warbler, who was happily taking papers and schedules from the council.

"Why do you care so much?" Blaine looked at him inquisitively. "Do you want to date Kurt or something? Because I'm certainly no expert in the matter, but insulting and threatening a person whilst constantly shooting them death glares is not exactly the best way to get someone to like you."

"I assure you that that is absolutely, one-hundred percent the complete opposite of my intentions for Kurt," he answered quickly, looking back over at his friend. "I was just curious, is all. Besides, I'm fairly certain my idiot friend over there has it pretty bad for your roommate."

"Yeah, I'd noticed." Blaine said thoughtfully, gazing in his direction. "Sam is not subtle about his feelings, that's for sure."

The two laughed about it as Jesse stood up from the couch. "I don't think he knows how to be, Blaine. He's not the most intelligent soul in the world."

Blaine chuckled up at him. "It's completely impossible to tell that you two are even friends, let alone _best_ friends. I don't know how he puts up with you."

"Probably the same way you do," Jesse laughed. Before his friend could respond, the council members were passing out music and the room began to split into their respective voices. Blaine grinned and stood with Jesse to join him and Sam as they grabbed music. "Samuel, why do you even take one each week? You can't read music."

Sam, ever unaffected by Jesse's insults, just laughed. "I want to at least know the lyrics, Jesse. I can figure the rest out on my own."

"You are a disgrace of a second lead, Sam." Jesse scoffed and looked down at the music, some French pop song he'd never heard of by a band called Kyo. "Can you even pronounce the words on this page?"

Aloof, he merely shrugged.

Blaine was already distracted by his papers, mumbling in French as he sight-read, and was completely ignoring the exchange between his two friends.

"Alright," Wes announced, "I know that many of you have noticed that this piece is in French. Before you complain about the pronunciation, save it. I know the piece is difficult, but we're intelligent gentlemen—" Jesse grinned at his best friend, who chuckled in response, "—and we can handle a little culture. Besides, we were informed that we have two members that happen to know French rather well, and we were hoping this meeting would follow this course to that we could award them the solos."

The senior frowned—he didn't know French, so another solo would fall into an unworthy person's hands. He merely hoped it wasn't—

"Blaine and Kurt, this one is yours. Do you think you can read through it right away?"

From opposite sides of the room, the two boys eagerly smiled and nodded.

And Jesse just groaned.

—xx—

_Early update because I should be writing a speech and also reasons. Enjoy!_

_ Maria _


	5. Chapter 5

_Chapter Five_

—xx—

"Jesse, _why _are we watching this?" Blaine removed his hands from where they were covering his eyes and frowned up at his friend. "I can barely watch it!"

The older boy smirked down. "Are you scared, Blainers? It's merely a movie."

Pouting, Blaine crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm going to leave! You're being rude and I am going to have nightmares for weeks because you decided we needed to watch something so awful!"

"No can do, Blaine." Jesse pulled him closer with the arm that was wrapped possessively around his shoulder, "I'm afraid the deal you made with me was that you watch a movie with me to make up for abandoning me this afternoon. Half a movie was not what was promised, Blaine."

Blaine paid no mind to the arm around him—Jesse had always acted this way. By this point, when the two sat together, he not only wasn't surprised by the physical contact, he expected it. So, when Jesse tightened his hold on him, he just moved closer into him with it. "I just don't get why you had to pick _this_ movie…"

"Complaining will get you exactly nowhere," Jesse stated dryly, secretly completely pleased when he felt Blaine's body press against his side. "You let me choose, that was your first mistake."

Blaine opened his mouth to respond, but some blonde woman was suddenly stabbed on the television and he buried his face into Jesse's chest to avoid seeing the blood splatter all over the walls. "Ughhhh, so _gross_," he mumbled into his friend's shirt.

Chuckling, he chose to remain silent rather than make fun of his friend, who was being irritatingly adorable at that very moment. It was moments like this that he was completely certain that Blaine _had_ to have feelings for him. Boys just didn't cuddle on the couch and watch movies together. He had most certainly never done this with Sam before. "Blainers," he nudged him in the shoulder, "Blaine, it's over, you can look."

"I don't even know what's happening in this movie," he groaned as he returned to his seat. "This is stupid."

Jesse snickered and looked down at him. "You'd know the plot if you hadn't covered your eyes through almost the whole duration of the film."

"I can't watch people get stabbed and murdered and shot, Jesse!" He pouted again, "Not all of us are sadistic madmen like you."

In mock hurt, Jesse held a hand to his heart. "Oh, _ouch_. That one cut particularly deep."

"Oh, shut it." Blaine rested his head on his friend's shoulder and smiled so Jesse couldn't see it; despite the fact that Jesse was only his friend, he did have to admit that the closeness felt nice.

As Blaine became quiet and began to watch the movie again, Jesse admitted to himself that he didn't actually know the storyline, either. He had been so distracted by Blaine being so close to him and acting so pathetically _cute_ right there in his arms that he had also missed the majority of the film. When he had rested his head on his shoulder, Jesse felt his heart flutter dangerously in his chest and he was worried for a moment that Blaine would hear it pulsing loudly. But, if the boy noticed, he didn't seem fazed by it and remained cuddled close to him.

Sam was constantly telling Jesse how clueless and romantically inept Blaine was, but other than the things that Blaine had revealed here and there, he didn't know many of the details of his past. He knew that Sam and Blaine had been together and that a violent incident had happened at their public school, resulting in their immediate transfer to Dalton. Remembering Blaine struggling through that story sent a surge of anger through his bloodstream.

Jesse had initially befriended him because he was attracted to him, but Blaine was different then. When had first approached him, he was quiet, shy, almost as though he was ashamed to have a voice. Quickly, Jesse became attracted to more than just his outer appearance and a strong need to protect him formed. Some days, Blaine would have just asked him to come over and the two would sit in silence, as if he had intended on talking but was too scared.

The day that he finally opened up it was as though someone had opened a floodgate; he was suddenly completely comfortable and able to speak with the then-junior. He told Jesse how he had been dating Sam, but the two had been jumped outside his school, explaining Samuel's previously mysterious arm brace. After this, an unspoken agreement between them resulted in their breakup. Jesse had been floored, unaware that they had been involved at all since Sam was always bubbly and talkative at Warbler rehearsals, and didn't seem to show any sign of such an event occurring, unlike Blaine.

Jesse recalled sitting through that whole story, completely silent, and then he just leaned forward and instinctively enveloped him in a hug. The younger boy had seemed adverse to the touch at first, but eventually relaxed into him.

Weeks later, Blaine had reluctantly showed Jesse his scars and bruises, and after that incident, the older boy decided not to make a move. Seeing them made him understand that the boy was broken both inside and out and at that time, he needed a _friend_, not a lover. So, Jesse had backed off. He watched Blaine grow increasingly more and more comfortable, watched his confidence return.

With a smile, Jesse remembered the very first, completely genuine smile that had spread across his friend's lips. Sitting on this very couch, the two were talking about Warbler rehearsal and how Blaine was auditioning for his very first solo; Jesse had stated very matter-of-factly, "You will absolutely blow them out of the water, Anderson. You have the best singing voice of the entire club. The council would have to be completely demented to not see that and thus deny you the opportunity to lead us."

It was a memory that Jesse would remember forever, the boy's mouth spreading, revealing the tips of his teeth, his eyes squinting a little, his whole body straightening with a pride he'd never seen before. He remembered the boy stumbling over his thanks as he tried to smile even wider. And Jesse recalled thinking that there couldn't have been anything more beautiful in the world.

"What're you smiling at, Jesse?" Blaine was looking up at him inquisitively, and Jesse was sucked out of his reminiscent state. "This movie is certainly not making me smile."

Jesse grinned down at him. "I'm just…" he found himself unable to find the right words, an alien feeling for the older boy. "I'm very glad that you transferred here, Blaine."

The younger boy only looked more confused, "Why?"

"Because I got to fix you when you were broken," Jesse stated. "And I am hard pressed to believe that you'd have been okay anywhere else."

Blaine smiled genuinely and laid his head back on his friend's shoulder. "Well, then I'm glad I transferred here, too."

Jesse wondered if this was the moment—if he should just lean down and kiss him, or whisper his feelings. He absentmindedly ran a hand through the boy's unusually loose curls and, for a second, he considered just opening his mouth and telling Blaine how he felt.

But, unfortunately, his fear got the best of him again. The moment was too perfect and he was worried that Blaine would reject him; that he would never get to hold him like this again, and feel so comfortable with the boy that he cared for.

So, he kept his mouth shut and his feelings to himself for another day.

—xx—

Jesse wasn't even bothered by the fact that he found himself picking up Sam's clothes from the floor—again—or putting them in his hamper—again—or throwing away his trash and cleaning his dirty dishes—again. He just did it without even so much as a sigh. He tried not to think about how long the sweat-soaked shirts had been sitting on the edge of his bed and just gathered them in the basket.

When his roommate returned and the room was, by then, immaculate, the blonde junior smiled at him. "Jesse, did you clean again?"

Glancing up from the book he was reading on his bed, Jesse gave his friend a half-lidded look before returning to his novel. "Yes, Samuel. The smell of your sweat was giving me a headache. I washed your clothes and put them in your closet. You're welcome."

"Jeez, Jesse, you didn't have to do that!" Sam pulled his shirt over his head and threw it in the corner, earning an unseen death glare from his roommate. "I would have cleaned it… you know… eventually…"

"Right," Jesse sighed and put his book down, "and eventually, I move out of this room. I wasn't sure which was going to come first, so I just took care of your disgusting side of the room myself."

"Well, thanks!" Sam pulled a wife beater from his neatly folded pile of clean clothes and turned to his friend as he put it on. "I owe you one, dude!"

From his bed, the senior chuckled. "Don't worry about it, Samuel. I assure you it was more for me than it was for you."

"Noted, man." He collapsed on his now-made bed, and crossed his arms around his back. "So, your tests go well this week, Jesse?"

"I suppose," the older boy had returned to his reading, absentmindedly answering the half-heard question. "My algebra exam went very smoothly, thanks to Blaine's help, and I got a ninety eight on my Literature paper, so I guess the week has been successful."

"Cool." There was a long pause in which Sam was debating whether to bring up the subject on the tip of his tongue, and Jesse was skimming his book. Finally, the blonde decided to speak. "So, Kurt's in, like, three of my classes."

Jesse paused for a moment, but merely said. "Oh?"

"Yeah…" Sam trailed off, and if Jesse weren't buried in his book, he'd have seen him blush. "…'s pretty awesome, I guess."

"Jesus, Samuel," Jesse drawled, still not bothering to make eye contact, "I'm not even looking at you and I can tell you've got a hard on for that boy."

"Woah!" Sam sat up on his elbows, shooting a glare at the cover of Jesse's book. "Calm the hell down, Jesse. It's not like that with Kurt."

Jesse put down his novel to level his friend with an inquiring look. "Oh, and tell me, Samuel. What, _exactly_, is it like with Kurt?"

The younger boy smiled nervously, a light flush dusting his cheeks, "I don't know… I haven't felt this way for someone since…" Sam realized his audience and left the end of the sentence blank. "He's… he's different, Jesse. He's not like all the other uptight, spoiled boys here—no offense," the blonde grinned at his friend's scowl, "he's unique. And he takes shit from exactly no one. I can respect that, man."

Smiling at his friend's frat boy syntax, Jesse forgot his distaste for the boy in question and encouraged, "So, are you going to ask him out, or are you going to wait until he's settled?"

"No," Samuel grinned again, this time speaking to his friend a mocking tone, "I was thinking of pulling a Jesse St. James and beating around the bush for a year and a half, hating his roommate and accusing him of being his boyfriend and constantly cuddling with him while watching scary movies, but never making a move."

Jesse calmly grabbed the hardback book from his bedside table and hurled it across the room at his best friend, hitting him square in the chest.

"Ow, ow, ow," Sam complained, "totally unnecessary, dude. It was a damned joke."

"Funny how neither of us is laughing," the senior stated flatly, laying back in his bed, "quite some hilarious joke there, Samuel. Are you going to seriously answer my inquiry, then?"

Tossing the book back across the room, the junior frowned. "I don't know. I can't tell if he's into me or not. Like, with—" Sam cut himself off again, "well, before, it was so easy to tell that he liked me. But, like, Kurt is hard to read. He's hot and cold and on and off, and I'm worried that if I make a move, I'll freak him out."

Jesse knew the feeling all too well.

—xx—

_Sorry about the delay. Midterms kicked my ass this semester and I spent more time in the library last week than at my own apartment. Also, I apologize about the length of these chapters. Hope y'all are enjoying this fic!_

_ Maria_


	6. Chapter 6

_Chapter Six_

—xx—

"Warblers, Warblers!" David shouted, standing from his seat. "Calm _down_! I know that it's Friday, but rehearsal needs to go as _planned_!"

Seated next to him, Jeff leaned to murmur to Jesse, "Why, so we can sing behind another "Blam" duet? I was surprised when we had something different two weeks ago, but let's be honest. I think the council would be content with tying Blaine and Sam up in a bow and gift-wrapping them for the judges at Regionals."

Jesse smirked. Despite the fact that his love interest and best friend were the subject of ridicule, he had to agree. As thrilled as he was that Blaine came to lead the Warblers as planned, Jesse was third lead and he hadn't seen a solo or duet in weeks. The fact that Kurt had received a duet his very first week in the club put a couple Warblers further on edge.

Nick snickered on Jeff's right and agreed. "I love the guys, but seriously. Sometimes I think our dear council forgets that this ensemble has sixteen people. Not just two."

The three boys chuckled, then looked right as music was passed down. Once it was in his hands, Jesse rolled his eyes at the new addition to the repertoire of the Warbler's list of sugar pop songs. He didn't have any particular qualms with this tune, he just secretly wished that _he_ had been elected to the council so that he could choose something with a little more emotional depth. However, being on the council meant that he couldn't be a soloist, since they couldn't nominate or vote themselves as leads.

So far, though, the decision to keep his role as third lead hadn't done much for his solo _or_ duet career. As much as he cared for him, he was tired of harmonizing behind Blaine.

"This week, Blaine and Sam will be taking the leads—" Jeff, Jesse, and Nick all exchanged sarcastic glances, "—for our eight part harmonized rendition of King of Anything by Sara Bareilles. We're aware that this song is _typically_ a solo, we thought it could be interesting if Sam and Blaine led it this time."

"_This time_," Nick hissed.

The following laugh that Jeff and Jesse shared earned the attention of the boys in the room, including the council.

"Is there something you'd like to share with us, Jesse, Jeff?"

Jeff zipped his lips and Jesse almost followed suit, but instead he stood. "Actually, David, I do have _something to share_. I believe that the council has kept some voices from being heard this year. I am more than aware that we name leads for a reason, but besides Kurt's first week here, Blaine and Sam have led nearly every solo or duet, and I think a few of us are just… well, we're sick of it."

Jeff was, at this moment, sitting behind Jesse, shaking his head and mouthing the word "no," trying to silently assure the council that Jesse was alone in this belief.

There was a long silence in which Jesse had hoped that at least _one_ person would speak up and agree, but the room just all gave him one collective long look. Just as he was about to give the group a long eye roll and reclaim his seat, though, Blaine spoke.

"Um… Jesse is right, guys."

A lovely, simultaneous gasp escaped the entire group and all eyes were on the first lead.

"Listen, Warblers, Jesse has a point. I am so… so very thankful that you guys let me step into the group and claim first lead; but we have other voices, _good_ voices, that could give us something interesting, different, maybe even _better_ than the thousands of duets that Sam and I have sung." He looked around at the Warblers, and when he received no protest, he took a deep breath and continued. "Kurt was telling me about the New Directions—the group he came from—and how they would use _every _one of their performers, how some days they would just sing for _fun_ and if the group liked it, they'd consider it for competition. We all saw how good they were last year, and chances are they'll be even better this year. I just don't think we can stand a chance of winning or even tying again if we keep using our same old tricks." He looked over at his ex-boyfriend. "No offense, Samuel."

The blonde boy waved his hand at his friend with a grin. "No prob. I think you're right, dude. Why not try someone else?"

The council all exchanged looks, and then looked at Blaine with a collective smile. "Alright. Well, then, Warblers, let's put it to a vote. All in favor of cutting rehearsal early this Friday to put this duet to an audition?"

When the majority raised their hands in response, Jesse grinned, then received a pat on the shoulder from each Jeff and Nick stood behind them. Wes banged the gavel and announced, "Okay! Warbler rehearsal dismissed! Audition details will be posted in the Great Hall at noon tomorrow."

The boys in the lounge all scrambled and began to leave, and Kurt, Sam, and Blaine all approached Jesse. The oldest boy was surprised when Kurt was the first to speak.

"Wow, Jesse, that was pretty impressive." He smiled at him; it was the first genuine one he'd seen delivered to him from the new boy. "Way to take the initiative."

Jesse gave the boy a questioning look and just as he was about to shoot a smart-ass comment as his response, Sam cleared his throat and frowned at him disapprovingly. Obedient to his best friend and his crush, he softened, "Well, someone had to… Kurt. I surely couldn't let these two steal every single solo and duet." He winked at his best friend.

Sam laughed. "Well, now we're gonna be competing for this one," he waved the sheet music in the air.

"All of us," Kurt piped in, smiling at his friends. "This is going to be intense, they're going to talking about this one for years."

Sam and Kurt laughed at the joke, but Jesse just suppressed a frown. He was more than aware that Kurt's countertenor drove the council wild and he hoped that he could acquire the duet spot next to Blaine. He had never sung with him before and it would be an understatement if he said he was interested.

"Hey, Kurt," Sam said, his voice wavering. Jesse chuckled a little as the boy started to flush. "Mind walking me back to Williams? I'd… um… I'd love to hear about your old glee club."

Blaine's smile fell a bit as his roommate smiled and nodded. It fell even further when Kurt followed him out and the two bumped shoulders when they walked away closely. Jesse spotted his friend's frown and matched it with his own. Once again, it became apparent that Blaine was undoubtedly interested in his roommate.

"Blaine," Jesse started, in hopes to distract his friend. "I have a proposition for you." He wrapped an arm around the younger boy and led him out of the lounge. Instantly, Blaine's shoulders relaxed, easily comforted by Jesse's close proximity. "Why don't we perform the audition together?"

Blaine blinked in surprise before he looked up at the senior. "Are you—what for?"

"Let's be honest, Blaine," Jesse continued, not skipping a beat, "Samuel is a great second lead, but his voice just does not mesh with yours very well. I think a duet with the two of our voices would be far superior to the numerous ones you've had with Samuel. Not to mention if we perform it together, we'd have an advantage over all the other auiditionees performing separate parts."

The younger boy considered it for a moment silently as they continued walking in the direction of Williams Hall. "Okay!" He said with a building smile, "Why not? I've always wanted to sing with you, Jesse!"

Jesse nearly tripped over his feet at the statement, but somehow kept his composure. When they reached Blaine's room, he smiled and removed his arm from around his shoulder. "Tell Kurt I bid him good luck," he smiled, "he's going to need it against us, after all." He ruffled Blaine's gelled hair and walked away, towards his own room.

"You got it, Jesse!" The first lead called after him, "Let's meet tomorrow after the details are posted to rehearse!"

Jesse only smiled wider as he walked away, thankful that Blaine was behind his back so he didn't see how ridiculous and pathetically _happy_ he looked. Even as he walked through his own dorm room door, he couldn't seem to wipe the stupid look off of his face.

"Jeez, Jess, I don't think I've ever seen you look so giddy before." Sam was leaned back on his own bed, dress shirt half unbuttoned and blazer tossed across the room. He had a textbook held in his hands, half-reading it. "Did Blaine brush you in the hallway or something, dude?"

Effectively erasing the smile from his face, the senior scowled at his friend across their room. "I'm absolutely impressed," Jesse stated, exasperated as he loosened his tie and shrugged his blazer off onto his bed. "The way he hides his emotions and feelings for me is a talent unmatched!"

The younger boy narrowed his eyes at his roommate from his own bed as he looked up from his algebra textbook. "Jesse, have you considered that maybe the reason that Blaine is such a pro at hiding his feelings for you is because he _doesn't have any_? Maybe he just doesn't feel that way about you, bro. It's been over a year—maybe it's time to move on."

"Oh, please, Samuel," the senior said as he unbuttoned his shirt and shrugged it off into his laundry basket. "I'm certain that Blaine has feelings for me. He can't just walk about, holding hands, watching movies and cuddling with me. I'm sure he's just still a bit apprehensive about accepting my feelings or his own because of, well," he pulled a long t-shirt on, then turned to his friend, "well, the incident."

Sam frowned for a second before responding, "I don't know, Jesse… I mean, it _has_ been a while since that happened… and you yourself put all his pieces back together. How much more fixing can one guy need? Maybe he just only sees you as, like, a place of comfort and not a boyfriend, or whatever."

Jesse pulled a pair of tight, black jeans as he considered this option. It was one that he thought of quite often. As delicate as he was trying to be with Blaine's feelings and his psyche, he knew that he had been transformed from the broken, silent boy that had walked through the doors of Williams Hall last year and into Jesse's life. Sometimes he couldn't decide if it was his fear of losing Blaine or his fear of hurting him when he wasn't ready that kept him from making his move.

"What are your plans for tonight, anyway?" Sam asked, thankfully changing the subject.

Jesse just shrugged and lay nonchalantly on his bed. "Probably nothing, I imagine."

Baffled, the younger boy pulled a quirked eyebrow at his friend and sat up. "Are you serious, Jesse? No, I'm not gonna let you sit around here and be boring tonight. You're going out tonight. With me."

"Why?" Jesse frowned.

"Because, you idiot," Sam grinned, getting out of bed. "You're boring as hell and I'm embarrassed to be your friend. Now, put something acceptable on and cooperate. We're going to a party."

—xx—

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Kurt frowned as his friend slipped into sweatpants. "I mean, Jesse takes the duet you already had and then tries to get it back… _with_ you? Doesn't that seem suspicious, Blaine?"

"Of course not!" The younger boy grinned at his roommate from his bed. "Jesse isn't like that. I think he's just trying to get an upper hand on the competition as all. He doesn't like to lose."

"That much is for sure," Kurt mumbled. "Don't you ever wonder what his intentions are, you know? He acts differently around you than he does around everyone else. You have to have noticed that."

Confused, Blaine looked at his friend with his head cocked. "What do you mean?"

Kurt stared at him for a couple of seconds before finally answering incredulously, "Are… are you serious, Blaine? You can't see that you are the only person he's not… well, not a complete _dick_ to?"

"Jesse isn't a dick, Kurt." Blaine started flatly. "He's just an introvert. He doesn't really hang out with a lot of people. Besides, he was there for me when I needed someone," he carefully used Jesse's phrasing, "and he was the one that fixed me. So, if he treats me differently, that's why."

The older boy frowned in lack of understanding, but decided not to ask what about Blaine needed fixing. "Well, I guess you've known him longer… it just seems suspicious to me. He's quite obviously not a fan of me and he even managed to be civil when we spoke today. I'm not sure what that's all about."

"Oh, stop looking so far into things," Blaine grinned, "just go with it. So, what about you and Sam, huh?"

Kurt flushed bright pink. "I have no idea what you mean, Blaine!"

"Please," Blaine sat back onto his bed, "Sam is into you. I should know."

"What the hell does that mean?" Kurt shouted, kneeling on his bed.

Blaine shrugged and avoided eye contact with his roommate. "We… well… he was my first boyfriend."

"Oh." Kurt murmured, immediately unsure of what to say.

"No big deal, Kurt," Blaine said, despite the fact that he didn't look up at him. "It was over a year ago. All I'm saying is that he's obviously going to make a move."

The junior's smile returned softly and he mumbled something noncommittal. Just as Blaine was about to make another comment, a series of loud, persistent knocks came to their door, effectively grabbing the boys' attention.

"Kurrrrtttt Hummmelllll!" Sam Evans banged on the door with his fest. "_Kurrrrrrrrrrrt_!"

"What did I say, Kurt?" Blaine smirked at him.

The older boy rolled his eyes and climbed out of bed to open the door, revealing one very drunk Samuel Evans. Pink polo half unbuttoned and jacket hanging from his shoulders, he looked like the very definition of 'a mess.'

"May I help you, Samuel?" Kurt quipped, trying his best to hide his building smile.

"Kurt!" The taller boy immediately wrapped the boy in a tight hug. "Kurt, how are you?"

"Woah, calm down, Sam." He grinned and pushed out of the hug. "I'm doing just fine, Sam. But, it's past midnight. What in the world are you doing here? Shouldn't you—"

Sam interrupted Kurt by pressing his lips against his and placing a hand on the small of his back. Kurt stood frozen, stunned as the boy moved against him. In the background, Blaine was staring with wide eyes, breath caught in his throat. Whoever was more surprised than the other, it was impossible to know.

When the blonde pulled away, Kurt still hadn't moved. The drunken junior broke out into a series of giggles and smiled with his mouth open. Then he turned away from the doorway and shouted, "Told you I could do it!" Then he shot another toothy smile at Kurt before slurring, "you're gonna get a drunk call soon, Blain_ers_," and shutting the door in his still-stunned face to run away.

Kurt stared at the door for five more seconds before finally turning around and managing, "What… was… that…?"

"I dunno—wait," Blaine sat up and looked around for his phone, "what did Sam mean—why did he call me—" True to Sam's word, the phone vibrated in Blaine's hand. The junior's eyes went wide when he read the caller ID. "It's… Jesse…?"

Kurt quirked his eyebrow, just as stunned as Blaine as he went to answer his phone. Before he could even say 'hello,' there was loud, drunken shouting escaping the earpiece.

"_BLAINE. BLAINERS. BLAINE EVERETT ANDERSON. BLAINE._"

He pulled the phone from his ear and winced, then reluctantly moved it back. "Um, yes, Jesse?"

"_Blaaaiiiinnneeee_," this time his voice was quieter but still slurred and hard to decipher. "_Blaine, we're gonna solo together! Or duet! Or whatever! Are you excited?_"

Blaine screwed up his eyebrows and answered, "Yeah, I'm excited. Jesse, why are you so drunk?"

"_Samuel made me attend this stupid party tonight. But, the liquor was free so, why not? Blaine, why did you say you always wanted to duet with me?_"

"Um, because I do." The younger boy gave Kurt a look and then asked Jesse, "Why does it matter?"

"_Oh, you're always so confusing! I'm going to bed, Blaine! Can't you just figure what your feelings are already?"_

Before Blaine could answer the question, Jesse hung up the phone. For a solid minute, Blaine stared at his cell phone before looking up at his roommate. "What just happened?"

"I don't know, Blaine, I didn't hear what Jesse said." Kurt sat on his bed with a frown, "Why in the world did Sam just kiss me? And why did he shout to someone saying that he could do it?"

"I told you that Sam liked you, Kurt!" Blaine reminded him with a forced laugh, phone call suddenly forgotten. "Looks like someone else noticed and dared him to kiss you."

Staring at Blaine, he pondered that with a thoughtful look. "Perhaps. It's hard to decipher the difference between drunken intentions and sober ones." Kurt looked up and noticed that his friend was no longer smiling. "Blaine? What's the problem?"

"Um, nothing," Blaine forced a smile, "I'm just wondering what that phone call was all about. I guess you're right about that whole drunken intentions thing." He tossed his phone onto the edge of his bed with a laugh, brushing off Jesse's confusing comments without a second thought.

—xx—

_A/N: Hope there are still people reading this!_

maria


	7. Chapter 7

_Chapter Seven_

—xx—

The buzzing of his phone on his forehead elicited a long, angry groan from Jesse St. James' lips; when it persisted, he struggled to open his eyes and grasped it in his hand. With an angry, scratchy voice, he answered, "Hello?"

"_Well, it's nice to hear that you're still alive after how drunk you were last night, Jesse._"

The sound of Blaine's voice caused the older boy to sigh deeply and accept the fact that he needed to wake up. Sitting up, he rubbed his forehead. "Yes, well, I'm rather surprised myself. Wait—how do you know that I drank last night?"

Blaine chuckled into the phone and replied, "_You mea, you really don't remember? You drunk dialed me last night—well, rather, this morning."_

Jesse froze, eyes wide, and nearly dropped his phone. No, he certainly did not remember that tidbit of information. "Er, no, I don't quite recall that bit of last night. What, um, what exactly did I convey to you in this drunken conversation?"

Blaine laughed into the phone. "_I'm not entirely sure myself. I think you were asking me why I wanted to duet with you, but you weren't making a lot of sense."_

"Oh," he snickered nervously, "Well, you know, when one is inebriated they say strange things…"

"_I figured as much_," the younger boy sounded almost irritated. "_Anyway, are we going to rehearse today? Auditions are Wednesday so I figured that we could practice every day. I think that will ensure that we definitely get picked_."

Jesse sighed in relief at the change of subject and agreed. "Sounds excellent, Blaine. If you'll let me get dressed, we can meet in thirty minutes."

"_Great. How about we meet in the Warbler commons? Try to warm up on the way there if it all possible so we can rehearse for as long as we can_."

"Alright. I'll see you then, Blaine." He hung up the phone and breathed out a huge sigh of relief just as his roommate groaned in his bed and sat up.

"Jesse, is it possible for you to tone it the hell down? It's still early, god dammit."

"Samuel, calm down," Jesse retorted. "It's nearly one-thirty in the afternoon. Get the hell up."

The blonde ruffled his hair in frustration and sat up, groaning aloud. "Oh, fuck, what did I do last night?'

Jesse stripped his pajamas from his body and grabbed his towel, "I'm not sure, Samuel. Apparently, I drunk-dialed Blaine."

Sam snickered from across the room, "Ohhh, I remember. I said that you would have to call him when I… oh. _Oh_. Oh, _shit_." Suddenly, the blonde sprung from his bed, and looked around the room frantically. "Oh, shit. Oh, shit. _Fuck_."

"What the hell are you so worked up about, Samuel?" Jesse wrapped the towel around his hips.

Sam finally located his phone and then looked down at it in horror. "Holy shit… I… _kissed Kurt_ last night. Oh, god." He dropped his phone and started frantically ruffling his hair. "Oh, _god_, what—why did I _do_ that?"

Jesse chuckled as he opened the door. "The very same reason that I called Blaine last night: very large amounts of alcohol, my friend, and the fact that the two of us undoubtedly have feelings for these people."

Before Sam could respond, Jesse left the room and alone with his regrets. He grabbed his phone off the floor again and scanned his texts, which read:

_ Samuel, you call me right now!_

_ Samuel Evans! What is going on!_

_ Samuel! Why did you KISS me?_

_ Oh, boy, Sam. You are in trouble with Kurt._

_ Samuel if you don't call me first thing in the morning I'm going to come down there and slap you!_

Sam groaned. Of the five texts, four were from Kurt and one from Blaine. The blonde fell back on his bed and grabbed his hair in two handfuls. As if he could sense that he was awake, Sam's phone buzzed with a phone call from Kurt. The boy threw his phone in shock and watched the battery separate from it, almost in slow motion.

He knew he should get up, put his phone back together, and call the boy back. But the more immature part of him was thankful that his phone had at least stopped ringing, and he let it sit, half-destroyed across the room.

—xx—

Jesse jogged down the hall of Williams Hall and out the double doors. The brisk autumn hair sent a shiver down his spine when it hit his still-damn hair, but he neverminded it as he slipped into the Main Hall of Dalton's campus. Blaine sat right outside the Warbler lounge, checking his watch with a troubled look on his face.

"I'm here, I'm here, Blaine." Jesse panted, "Sorry that I'm late. It took me longer to dress myself than I had thought it would."

Blaine frowned at him over his shoulder and then stood. "It's fine, it's just less time to practice. You know, when you asked me to do this duet with you, I thought you'd be serious about it."

"I am, I am, I assure you." Jesse frowned, "I never let Sam talk me into going to those lame high school parties. I apologize, Blainers." He took a deep breath and grabbed Blaine's hand, looking him in the eye. "I promise I am one-hundred percent dedicated to getting this duet with you from this moment on."

Blaine grinned at him and said, "Stop it, okay? You're forgiven."

Jesse chuckled and released his hold on Blaine. The two walked into the lounge and collapsed on a couch together. "Alright. So, where shall we begin on this? I think that we should share the verses and then harmonize the choruses."

"That's what I had in mind as well. I think you should take lead in the chorus, too, Jesse." Blaine looked down at his sheet music, effectively missing the stunned look on his partner's face.

"What? Why would we do that? I'm only third lead."

The sophomore boy looked up and smiled, "So? You're the reason we're having the audition. It took courage for you to stand up and demand that we change things. Besides, third lead is just a title the council gives. I think your voice is way better than mine."

Jesse fought the impending flush flooding his cheeks, something that he could normally do without even thinking. "I suppose if you insist, then we can try it that way."

"Alright, well let's try to read through it then, acapella. You've heard this one before, right, Jesse?" Blaine was more than aware of Jesse's obscure music tastes and knew that it was entirely possible that he hadn't.

"Of course, Blaine. I don't live beneath a rock."

The younger boy grinned, and then took a deep breath before beginning to sing. Jesse nearly missed his cue he was so stunned. He'd heard Blaine sing before—numerous times—but there was something uniquely _special_ in being sung to by the boy one is interested in. He was also pleased to discover that the exchange between the two was easy and did, in fact, sound better than the duets he'd heard from Blaine and Sam.

Once they reached the chorus, though, something in him changed. He watched as Blaine danced around the room, smiling at him and singing with perfect pitch in a gorgeous harmony to Jesse's melody. Jesse somehow managed to make it through the chorus without missing a note, and then the rest of the song. Even he found himself moving to the music in a manner like Blaine's, and at the end of the song, the two found themselves back on the couch they'd started on, out of breath.

There was a moment of long, awkward silence and eye contact until Blaine finally spoke. "Jesse, that was amazing! I hear you sing so rarely, and you've never sung with me," he placed a hand on Jesse's knee, earning a hitched breath—that went unnoticed—from him. "You are just incredible. We're definitely gonna get that part."

"Yeah," Jesse panted, uncharacteristically ineloquent. "It… was good."

"What's wrong?" Blaine frowned, tightening his grip on his friend's knee. "We'll practice more, Jesse. Don't worry."

"No, it was spectacular, Blaine. I must apologize," He stood with a start, "I have to go."

Leaving the younger boy in a confused state, Jesse stormed from the room and out into the chilly afternoon. He leaned against the brick wall and breathed out, hard.

Something had changed. Something was different. And then it came to him.

He was hopelessly and quite unfortunately in love with Blaine Anderson.

—xx—

_A/N: Short chapter, I apologize. Hope y'all like it anyway._

_ maria_


	8. Chapter 8

_Chapter Eight_

—xx—

Jesse St. James glanced at the clock at the front of the classroom, for once wishing that it'd move_ slower_ and put more time between now and the impending Warbler rehearsal in the afternoon. He'd done a stellar job of avoiding Blaine all day, a tricky obstacle since the two had walked to class together twice a day, each day that year. He'd even managed to skip lunch in order to evade him.

Things had gotten… _difficult_… since the Saturday that they had rehearsed together. Before, he craved little snippets of the boy's company; his smile and voice and his upbeat attitude. However, his feelings had changed—deepened—and complicated, and now the thought of being around him downright frightened him. He was afraid that he might not be his super-composed, nonchalant self. After singing with him, he had looked him in the eye and a sudden pressure of anxiety and _fear_ had settled on his shoulders, and he had this feeling that if he stayed in that seat next to Blaine, he'd do something he'd regret.

So, like a coward, he ran. Since that moment, he hadn't seen him.

As the minutes ticked by in Literature, Jesse tried his best to focus on the subject matter and not on the uncomfortable situation he was currently in with his friend. He knew that Blaine was going to approach him after rehearsal and ask about practicing for their duet. And Jesse, performer though he was, knew that he would agree and have to suck it up because, despite the fact that he felt unusually uncomfortable around him, he wanted the duet with him.

Unfortunately enough, the bell rang and forced him out of his last class of the day. He sat, wondering if he could just sit in his seat and then class would continue. Sadly, the students and teacher all filed out of the room and the senior was forced to follow suit. With a sigh, he stood and stepped out of the room with every intention of hiding in his dorm until the five 'o clock rehearsal.

However, much to his dismay, the older boy ran right into the very person he had been putting so much effort into avoiding: Blaine Anderson.

"Jesse?" The sophomore Warbler raised an eyebrow up at him. "Where have you been all day?"

When the younger boy didn't immediately ask him about Saturday, Jesse's shoulders relaxed a bit. Still, he wanted to escape the situation. "I had a rather important Literature paper due today," he said with a bit more bite than intended. "I couldn't be bothered to follow you around the halls of Dalton."

He didn't mean to sound as angry as he did. When Blaine's face fell into a hurt frown, he realized that the sophomore wasn't used to the bitter tone he used with everyone else. Jesse started to soften a bit, but immediately stopped himself. It was better that he upset Blaine and keep him at bay at this point then go soft and say something he'd regret.

"Why are you talking to me like that? What did I do?" The boy's hurt look quickly transformed to anger. "What have I ever done to you, Jesse?"

Taken aback, Jesse uncharacteristically stumbled over his words. "I, well, Blaine—"

"Save it," Blaine said, straightening his blazer. "I don't know what I did on Saturday to scare you off, but you better be ready to practice again today after rehearsal. I don't care what your issues are, but you committed to singing with me and I'm not about to let you back out."

In a huff, the shorter boy stormed by him without letting Jesse say a word. Wide eyed, the senior just stared after him, having never seen him talk to him—or anyone, for that matter—in such a tone. Eventually, he breathed out and accepted his fate: he could not back out on his duet with Blaine.

With a shrug, Jesse shoved his hands in his pockets and began the walk to his dorm. He hadn't mentioned his current situation to Samuel, but he was starting to feel like a bit of advice on the matter couldn't help. Spending an extended period of time alone with someone he… _loved_… but whose feelings weren't reciprocated seemed like dangerous territory.

Pushing into his room, his discovered that Sam was fast asleep in his bed, on top of the covers, still in full uniform. Disgruntled with both his own frustrating situation and his disheveled roommate, he shouted a little too loud. "Samuel! Wake the hell up!"

Sam jerked awake with a start, sitting up in an instant. Looking around, frightened, he finally made eye contact with Jesse and frowned. "_Whaaaaat?_"

"I need help," Jesse admitted, avoiding his best friend's death glare as he collapsed on his own bed. "Blaine-related help."

With a groan, the younger boy fell back onto his pillow. "Are you kidding, dude? I've told you how to handle that freaking situation before. Be. Direct. Now can I go back to sleep?"

"Quiet." Jesse demanded flatly, "Things are… _different_ and complicated now. I think… no, I am certain… I'm in love with him."

Samuel sat up again, this time slower, with a very quizzical look on his face. "Come again?"

"Please, don't ask me to repeat it." Jesse loosened his tie in frustration. "I don't know how to act around him anymore. In fact, I'm almost… afraid to chance a moment near him—which is ridiculous! Blaine and I have never been awkward. We've always been comfortable."

"Well, dude, this is different than just, y'know, caring for someone. It's _loving_ someone; now that you feel this way, you're gonna feel it in every freaking movement. You'll think about him _all_ the time. Like, he should be beside you and part of your life at every moment. So," Sam sighed, "the fact that he's not will drive you crazy when you're around him. All those things you just, like, wanted before, the hand holding and stuff, you're gonna _need_ them now. So, yeah, being around him is gonna be hard."

Jesse growled, falling back into his pillow and rubbing his temples in frustration. "So… how do I _deal_ with the situation? I wanted to just avoid him until perhaps until the end of time, if at all possible, but we're auditioning the duet together. I can't just abandon him."

"Well, my advice is the same as always, dude. Be direct and tell him how you feel. I mean, not necessarily all of it—telling him you love him would definitely freak him out." Sam laughed. "But the best way to deal with the feeling is to let it out. Bottling it up will just make it worse, I promise. And you can't bottle it up forever. It's gonna come bursting out some day. Then you'll really regret it."

"How in god's name do you know so infuriatingly much about all this?"

The younger boy shrugged and then fell back onto his bed. "I dunno, man. I just pay attention in relationships and junk."

"I'm just not sure that I can confess all of that to him, Samuel." He wanted to add _because I'm scared_, but bit his tongue at the confession.

"Well, you asked for my advice, Jesse, and I gave it to you. If you're not gonna use it, that's your problem." The boy rolled over and clutched his pillow, "Now that I've given you my wisdom, can I freaking go back to sleep?"

The senior chuckled. "Whatever you please, O wise Samuel Evans."

"Jerk," Sam mumbled, before quickly slipping off to sleep.

Jesse absolutely _detested_ how very right Sam was. He knew that he should confess to him, that the feelings were quickly becoming too much to bear, but he just couldn't. Despite the fact that, at this point, he was too scared to even be around Blaine, he still didn't want to risk rejection.

But, regardless of what he decided to do, he knew he'd have to be alone with him that evening and he only had hours to figure out how to handle that situation.

—xx—

Jesse took a seat in the corner of a couch in the Warbler lounge. He was the first one to arrive and he rather liked it that way. Normally, he'd make the walk with Sam, but the boy pushed him to go before him, so he shrugged and left rather early. He still hadn't quite decided how he was going to face Blaine one-on-one today, but the immature part of him was pushing that nagging into the deep confines of his brain.

He was just beginning to truly enjoy solitude when one of the double doors squeaked open and closed, and then Kurt Hummel was sitting across from him. There was a long, awkward moment of silence before either one of them spoke.

"Hello, Kurt." Jesse managed.

"Um, hey." He frowned for a second. "Would you mind telling me what you're pulling with my best friend? Because he has been losing his mind for the last few days and I know better than anyone that he doesn't deserve that."

"_You_ know better than anyone?" Jesse chuckled condescendingly. "How _cute_, Hummel. You think you know Blaine so well because you've been close to him for—what, perhaps a month? Don't even begin to kid yourself, Kurt."

The younger boy quirked an eyebrow at him and quipped, "If you know him as well as you claim to, then you wouldn't be hurting him like this all over a stupid solo. What are you doing? Breaking his spirit so he'll drop out of the audition? That's just cruel."

"You have no idea what this is about, Hummel, and I suggest that you drop it. You are treading in territory that you are completely clueless about. If you knew anything about my relationship with Blaine at all, you'd know that you are so far off base that you're playing an entirely different sport."

"Would you _mind_ explaining it to me, then?" Kurt frowned, "Because he's having a hard time and I have no idea how to help him."

"It's…" Jesse trailed off, breaking eye contact with the younger Warbler as his face softened. "…_complicated_."

"I'm sure it's not that serious, Jesse." The boy jibed. "Must you be such a drama queen?"

"Watch yourself, Hummel." The senior warned, "You don't know me well enough to be able to get away with speaking to me with that tone." He sighed softly. "I assure you it has nothing to do with the duet. I have every intention of getting that duet _with_ Blaine, so I'm not trying to sabotage that. As a performer, I'd never intentionally do so anyhow."

"Then _what in the world_ are you doing?" Kurt asked, nearly begging.

"Like I said before, Hummel. It's complicated. It has to do with…" Jesse sighed, "…well my relation—_friend_ship with Blaine."

Looking more confused than ever, Kurt cocked his head. "What the hell does that mean?"

"Don't worry about it, Kurt." Jesse assured, "I will remedy the situation. Believe it or not, I do care about Blaine's mental and emotional state of being and didn't intend for him to be as confused and distraught about the current situation."

Kurt looked relieved. "Okay. I'm not exactly sure what your problem with _me_ is, but Blaine is a different story."

Jesse laughed. "It's under the same category of being complicated. You needn't look much further into it. Just…" he considered the words on this tip of his tongue. "…pay attention to my idiot roommate."

The junior boy stared for a long moment, maintaining eye contact with Jesse. Just as the doors opened and the Warblers began to spill into the room, a heavy dose of realization dawned all over his face. The senior boy half smiled and held a finger to his lips as the boys began to take seats, and Jeff stole Jesse's attention.

In a matter of minutes, the council took their seats and Wes banged his gavel. "Alright, gentlemen. First off, I speak for the whole council when I say how very _pleased_ we were to see the number of names on the list. The fact that so many of you have this sudden surge of initiative is so encouraging. Things are looking quite bright for Regionals.

"Also, we have a bit of an unusual addition to our normal schedule today. A junior Warbler has asked to take the floor for a special solo. He has encouraged all of you to join in if you know the words. All of you… except for Kurt Hummel."

All eyes immediately were drawn to the junior boy sitting in the middle of the room, who immediately flushed bright pink. "W-what?"

Immediately, Nick and Jeff jumped over the couch to pull open each of the double doors. When they revealed one Samuel Evans, guitar in hand, Kurt gasped and immediately looked to Jesse, hoping that his best friend and roommate would have some clue to what was going on. But, alas, the senior boy looked just as confused as the rest of the Warblers.

Sam immediately made eye contact with Kurt and smiled a toothy grin at him. The boy expected some sort of explanation or introduction, but Samuel merely delved right into the first verse.

"_Take my home_

_Take everything I own_

_Take it, take control_

_You will feel better_

_You will feel whole."_

A couple of the Warblers smiled in recognition, Jesse included. He knew the song; as it was one of Sam's favorites and he often listened to it on repeat. Suddenly, he noticed that he _had_ been strumming it on his guitar for the last couple of days.

"_You're so good_

_You stopped me where I stood_

_And let me look at love and I feel better_

_Oh, I feel good."_

In that instant, half the club joined in harmony as Sam reached the chorus. The others merely smiled and attempted to hum along.

"_I just want to give it all to you_

_I want to share this with you_

_Make you mine and mine will be all yours_

_Whatever you want and more_

_What I'm anticipating_

_Everything else will be over-rated_

_Baby, it's for you, it's all for you."_

Much to Sam and the rest of the club's surprise, Jesse suddenly stood and joined him. The club had never heard the two duet together, but they managed without any mistakes. The two boys smiled at each other as they sang.

"_You speak kind_

_Oh, if you were mine_

_What would we be like?_

_We would be liked_

_We would be..."_

Samuel bashfully pushed his best friend back in his seat and then turned to face Kurt, who was, by then, beet red and grinning. When the rest of Warblers joined in with the chorus, the seated junior stuck out his tongue at Samuel.

"_I just want to give it all to you_

_I want to share this with you_

_Make you mine and mine will be all yours_

_Whatever you want and more_

_What I'm anticipating_

_Everything else will be over-rated_

_What I'm anticipating_

_Everything else will be over-rated."_

At that point, Samuel slung his guitar over his back and motioned with his hands for the club to join in with him as he repeated the lines. Once enough of them joined in, he smiled and looked back at Kurt to sing to him.

"_What I'm anticipating_

_Everything else will be over-rated."_

As the Warblers continued their repetition, Sam paused for a moment and then moved on to the next line with a grin, moving in almost too uncomfortably close to Kurt's face.

"_Baby, it's for you_

_Baby, it's for you_

_Baby, it's for you_

_Baby, it's for you, it's all for you."_

When Sam finished the song, there was an awkward silence in the lounge for a very brief moment before the blonde looked as though he remembered something. Suddenly, he was rifling through his pockets, causing Kurt's face to screw into confusion.

However, the boy's eyes lit up when Sam eventually pulled a pair of tickets from his lapel. "Um, Kurt Hummel…" he was avoiding eye contact, flushing bright pink. "Would you, uh, honor me…" he cleared his throat, wishing he was as smooth during the talking portion of this serenade as he was with the singing part. "Can I t-take you out to dinner and a musical this weekend?"

Jesse's eyes flew open in surprise at the last part of the question. He looked over at Sam, who was forcing a smile through the obvious anxiety. There was a long, dramatic moment of quiet, all eyes on Kurt, until the boy finally smiled and responded. "Of course, Samuel. I'd be happy to."

When the entire club, Jesse included, erupted into applause, Sam pulled Kurt into a crushing hug and murmured something that sounded like, "Sorry for Saturday, dude."

Jesse, still seated, smiled up at his best friend and applauded, but then something out of the corner of his eye stopped him. Someone else was seated across the room, not clapping. Jesse's heart nearly stopped when he saw the completely heartbroken look painted all over Blaine's face as he sat in the corner, trying not to be noticed.

Suddenly, the senior knew exactly what Sam meant about the difference between his old feelings and the new ones. He didn't just _want_ to comfort Blaine, he longed to, _needed_ to wrap his arms around him, murmur things to him. Before he knew what he was doing, he was seated next to him and his hand seemed to grab Blaine's on its own. The younger boy jumped a little, but then looked over at his friend and smiled at him and in an instant, all was forgiven between them. Blaine rested his head on his friend's shoulder and the two went unnoticed as the other Warblers continued to make a ruckus about Sam's performance.

"You… really care about him," Jesse murmured, "don't you?"

There was a moment of silence before Blaine softly agreed, "Yeah."

With a painful sigh, Jesse discovered that being always right wasn't the greatest feeling in the world. Despite the fact that he had been assuring himself that Blaine was not telling the full truth when he said he wasn't interested in Kurt, hearing it out loud hurt more than he could imagine. Still, he gripped Blaine's hand and stuck to comforting him. He realized that that must be a part of love that was different than just caring about someone, as well.

Jesse St. James had never put another person's feelings or ambitions before his own, but suddenly he felt as though he didn't have a choice with Blaine.

The loud banging of Wes' gavel cut through the noise in the room and effectively silenced everyone. In an instant, Blaine and Jesse tore apart. The Warblers all took their respective seats and gave their attention to the council.

"Alright, Warblers. This is all very exciting, we know, but we _do_ need to focus on Regionals now. While we're having auditions for the _King_ duet, we're going to weigh a few options for the second and third solos. Blaine?" Wes looked around for the sophomore, and then spotted him in the corner, "We'd like to feature you, our first lead, on a Katy Perry number. If you'd come up here and gather your music…"

Blaine frowned but obediently stood and moved to the council. Jesse took this chance to glance over at his best friend, who looked more than content in his seat across from Kurt. As much as he was happy to see Samuel grinning and giddy, he felt a pang in his heart for Blaine. Such an alien and foreign feeling set Jesse back a few paces. Not five days ago, he would have given anything for Kurt to be taken so that Blaine could focus on Jesse. But, now, seeing how very _hurt_ he was to not have him just made him want to grab Kurt and point him in the direction of the sophomore.

Still, as music was passed around, Jesse knew that there was nothing he could do. Even the menacing part of him knew that he didn't want to walk over there and somehow break up the two, and then force Kurt into being with Blaine instead. Besides, he could never do that to Samuel. Despite their bickering, he was his best friend, and Jesse hadn't seen such a big smile on his face in weeks.

"Jesse?" Wes called, effectively pulling him from his stupor. "We'd like you to perform our third song, if you're interested."

Immediately taken aback, Jesse sat stunned in his chair for a full ten seconds before registering what was said and standing from his chair. He brushed by Blaine on his way there and was unable to resist the urge to ruffle his gelled hair as he walked by. The younger boy cracked a small smile, and Jesse's heart swelled.

When he approached the table, David smiled up at him. "We were very impressed with your outburst last week. It showed that you have initiative and drive, and most importantly, _passion_. So, we're going to award you with the third song in our three-song set.'

Wes nodded at David, and then looked up and held out music to Jesse. "We're fairly confident you'll knock this one out of the park. We'd like to rehearse it on Thursday; we figured that wouldn't be too much to ask of you."

Jesse took the sheet music from him, and upon reading the title, he grinned. "Oh, I assure you that it will be absolutely no issue." The senior boy nodded at the council in thanks and turned to take a seat by Sam.

No, he was certain singing Queen's _Somebody to Love_ would be absolutely no issue for him.

—xx—

_A/N: I'm not particularly fond of the ending of this one, but I couldn't find a way to change it to make it better, so I kept it. Hope it doesn't though you off! In other news, I've nearly finished writing this whole story (I just hit chapter 17) so that's kind of exciting._

_ Please keep reading!_

_ maria_


	9. Chapter 9

_Chapter Nine_

—xx—

It was surprisingly easy for Jesse to ignore his teenage angst with his roommate stressing and pacing across the room. In fact, the way that Samuel was mumbling and sweating and changing shirts had effectively distracted Jesse from the completely uncomfortable and awkward one-on-one rehearsal he had had with Blaine two hours earlier.

He knew that it was going to be different than normal, but he couldn't have planned for how entranced he was by Blaine's singing, by his passion. Jesse had never missed a cue or fudged a lyric before, but he found himself late on entrances and forgetting the words. It got to the point where Blaine got frustrated and demanded that they finish early so that Jesse could "learn the lyrics and take the duet seriously." Then the sophomore had stormed out without another word.

However, he was able to completely forget about that as Sam fidgeted anxiously on his bed over his impending date with Kurt.

"Samuel. Your date with Hummel isn't for five days. What in the world are you so damn anxious for?"

Sam looked up from the tie he was tightening. "I just want this be perfect, dude. Things are different with Kurt."

"That is positively precious, Samuel." Jesse jibed, "But I assure you that such provisions are unnecessary. You've never felt uncomfortable around him before—why should you start now? You'll do just fine."

The younger boy paused in his preparations to smile at his best friend. "Thanks, Jesse. That was… weirdly helpful."

Jesse smiled, but then lay back on his bed and sighed deeply. His audition with Blaine was a mere two days away and he had every intention of completely crushing the competition. However, that was proving difficult when he found himself stumbling, blushing, and acting like an all-around fool around the younger boy.

"Samuel." Jesse called, not bothering to sit up. "I am having… _difficulties_… regarding Blaine. I am determined to get the duet part with him, but I can't seem to function around him anymore."

"Jesse, are you coming to me for help?" Sam joked, "I never thought I'd see the day."

"Quiet," The older boy sat up, frowning. "I don't need your childish attitude."

Laughing, the junior walked across the room to slap his friend on the back. "Dude, why don't you just _tell him how you feel_, like I've been telling you all along?"

"I'm…" Jesse lowered his voice, "…anxious… about what his response will be."

Sam's eyebrows flew up in shock. Jesse had never admitted anything anywhere close to such a confession. When Sam met his gaze, the older boy looked almost troubled.

"Jesse," Sam sighed, "You can't keep doing this to yourself, dude. I mean, I'm your best friend and it sucks to watch you struggle, man. I understand that it's hard to admit feelings and all that, but how long can you stumble around and pine after him before you lose your mind?"

Jesse merely sighed and shrugged. In response, his best friend frowned and sat next to him on the bed. "Just do something stupidly romantic for him and make it obvious what your intentions are. Blaine's a nice guy. He's not gonna be an asshole about it even if he doesn't like you. You know that."

"I just can_not_ risk losing his friendship, Samuel." Jesse admitted immediately, "If he is uncomfortable with my feelings, he'll put distance between us. And I do not want that."

Sam sighed in frustration, "Well, then I don't know to tell you, man. It's not gonna be easy to be around him if you l—feel the way you feel about him. I guess the best advice I can give is to just… I dunno, try to ignore it the best you can? Just don't do what you normally do, dude. Don't get angry. That won't help anything."

Jesse quirked an eyebrow at his friend, but collapsed backwards on his bed in pseudo-agreement. The junior boy chuckled and patted him on the knee as he stood up. "I am never gonna get how _you,_ of all people, with all your _damn_ confidence and arrogance, are scared of Blaine hurting your feelings. I mean, I just expect you to assume he has them back."

The senior grunted at his friend and Sam laughed and walked across the room to his own bed.

Tuesday flew by at an uncomfortable rate and once again Jesse found himself anxious as the Warblers filed out of their lounge and left Blaine and himself alone in the room. Blaine was frowning at him from the couch across from him and the older boy let silence settle between them for a moment before finally sighing and standing.

"Look, Blaine." Jesse walked over to him, "I'm… I apologize for my behavior over the last couple of days. I would rather not explain what's going on with me, but I'm sorry that I've been… well, I've been a bit of an asshole."

"Yes," Blaine stated flatly. "You have been. You've also been incredibly unprofessional and I'd expect that from anyone else, but not you. That's why I was okay with doing this duet with you, because I thought we'd have a real shot because you're always so serious about performing."

"I _still_ am, Blaine. I promise," he smiled softly. "Please allow me to show you that we are going to demolish the competition."

As much as he tried to fight it, Blaine couldn't stop the wide grin from spreading slowly across his face. "Fine, St. James. You ready to do this?"

The older boy smiled and kept Sam's advice in mind. He had to admit that the frightening pressure of love in his chest now felt rather soothing and almost pleasant when Blaine smiled at him. As they sang, he felt it burn with each beat of his heart but he found himself enjoying it and didn't miss a beat. As the feeling became more intense, so did his singing, and when they reached the chorus and Blaine fell back into the harmony, Jesse noticed the sophomore's eyes go wide at the tone he was hearing the older boy sing with.

When they finished, Blaine didn't say anything, just grabbed his hand. The senior struggled and somehow managed to mask the impending blush. When the younger boy smiled up at him, Jesse's heart fluttered almost painfully in his chest, and he stared down confusedly at him. When Blaine had done such intimate things with him in the past, it had often filled him with a sense of hope. But, for some reason, given the new circumstances, the contact just felt cruel and Jesse pulled away.

Blaine quirked an eyebrow, but neverminded it. "That was really great, Jesse. We're ready for this audition tomorrow. I'm glad you decided to finally commit."

Jesse chuckled and nodded. "Perhaps I just wanted to make this dramatic, Blainers. You know how I love scandal and complicating things."

"That's pretty true," Blaine laughed. "Alright, well, I don't think we need any more practice, do you?" When Jesse shook his head, the boy continued, his smile falling only slightly. "I promised Kurt I'd help him pick an outfit for his date with Sam this Friday for some reason."

Jesse frowned right with Blaine. "Samuel has been losing his mind over Friday. I'm sure he'll manage to screw it up somehow, the dolt."

Blaine chuckled softly and bowed his head. "Don't say that, he's your best friend!" He smiled at Jesse and waved, "I'll see you later. We'll kill this thing tomorrow, right?"

The senior boy nodded in response as Blaine waved and left the room. Jesse sighed and collapsed on the couch, grabbing his own solo off the table in front of him. He didn't exactly feel the need to practice it, seeing how it was a song he knew inside-out anyway, but he truly wanted to knock this one out of the park at Regionals. He stood with his music in hand to sit at the piano and dove right in. Something about singing solos—especially those with such a relevantly deep meaning—was therapeutic to Jesse. In an instant, he was transformed from student to performer.

Unbeknownst to him, Blaine was standing outside a cracked door, spying on his private rehearsal. He had heard Jesse begin to play the piano and his curiosity had drawn him back towards the room. When Jesse's voice began to fill the room and spill out into the hall, Blaine found himself entranced. He'd heard the older boy sing dozens of times, but never before with quite so much _conviction. _The sophomore felt something stir within him, and a smile spread across his face as he practically heard Jesse sing out his soul.

As he studied his face, though, Blaine felt something… _confusing_ settle in his chest. The pained look Jesse was expressing sent a shiver through him. The younger boy wondered what was causing the senior to be struck in such a way by the music he was singing; or, rather, _who_ had caused it. Frowning, the sophomore Warbler felt a strong sense of protective worry wash over him. Jesse sometimes appeared have an underlying layer of hurt under any mood he was in when around Blaine. The younger boy supposed that Jesse assumed he was hiding this well, but he knew him far too well not to know when something was wrong.

As of late, it seemed as though this hurt was now a permanent fixture.

Blaine was pulled out of his thoughtful trance when Jesse finished the song and sighed deeply. The sophomore's frown deepened further, but he shrugged and spun on his heels, walking away from the lounge. As much as he wanted to help Jesse, Blaine knew that the older boy was a very private person when it came to his emotions and barging in or being caught spying on him would be detrimental to helping him.

If only he knew what was wrong so he could begin to fix it.

—xx—

"Come on, Blaine!" Kurt cried from the inside of his closet. "You know him better than I do! Why are you being so _wildly_ unhelpful?"

Arms crossed behind his head, Blaine yawned loudly and frowned from his bed. "Because I don't actually know what you want from me."

Kurt groaned and spun on his heels to make eye contact with his roommate. "I _told_ you! I need help with _everything_! I've never actually been on a date with anyone before! What do I wear? What do I talk about? _Help _me, Blaine."

Blaine chuckled softly before getting out of bed and walking over to Kurt, slapping a hand on his shoulder. "You are thinking _way_ too hard about this, Kurt. Sam's a pretty laid back guy—you know that. So, why are you stressing about this so much?"

The older boy frowned and swatted Blaine's hand away. "Because I want to look fabulous and perfect and not mess this up!"

"Okay, okay, okay," Blaine walked into Kurt's closet and began rifling through his things, trying not to marvel at the fine fabrics. "With Sam, there's no need to get too crazy with the fashion." He pulled a shirt out, studied it, and then shook his head as he replaced it. "Sam's a simple boy. If you try too hard, he's not gonna mind, but you'll be best off wearing something he's not gonna spend too much time trying to figure out."

Kurt watched as Blaine took several hangers from his closet, trying not to wince too much as he tossed them carelessly on his bed. When his friend retreated, Kurt breathed a soft sigh of relief.

"I vote for something classic. Black and whites, maybe a pair of dark-washed jeans. But, I don't want you to tone it down too much or make yourself look like everyone else, of course." The shorter boy winked with a smile as he turned back into his friend's closet. "I say you wear those awesome white boots that you own," he grasped said pair and shoved them into Kurt's arms. "That'll show your impeccable style off enough without distracting him from your personality."

Kurt grinned at Blaine, nodding and placing the boots on the edge of his bed. "Thank you. You know that I'm usually incredible at piecing together an outfit, but this… this is different."

"No problem, Kurt." Blaine walked past him to hide his frown, collapsing face first on his bed. Kurt quickly moved to scan the choices his roommate had placed on his bed, not seeming to notice Blaine.

Blaine was fully prepared to continue laying there, face first in his pillow, but his phone vibrated on the nightstand, forcing him to reach for it. A text from Jesse brought a strange, small smile to his face and he quickly unlocked his phone.

_So ready to kick ass with you tomorrow, Blainers. With you by my side those other guys don't stand a chance of getting that duet._

Kurt was forgotten across the room as his smile grew wide across his lips. He quickly typed back a response and noted in the back of his mind how Jesse could always manage to fix things, no matter the situation, or if even if he had intended to do so.

He truly was the perfect friend.

—xx—

_You don't have to tell me that, Jesse! And QUIT calling me Blainers._

Jesse chuckled from his bed as he tossed his phone back on his bedside table. Suddenly, he felt more optimistic than he could remember feeling in days, maybe even weeks. After today's rehearsal, he knew he was going to kick the shit out of his solo and then he and Blaine would definitely get the duet. The idea of the two of them singing everything at competition put a huge smile on his face. Not to mention the dozens of rehearsals and meetings they'd have.

It just felt so good to be around him now. He had always wanted Blaine to have everything he wanted, wanted to watch him succeed, but now things were different. Jesse didn't just want these things; he wanted to go to the end of the earth to make sure that Blaine never failed. Doing this audition with Blaine would ensure that he continued to be the star.

Loving Blaine had changed everything. He felt it in every step, in every breath; and despite the fact that the feeling wasn't reciprocated, it made Jesse feel safe and warm. Suddenly, the songs he sang took on new meaning and it felt like everything he did had purpose.

The door to his dorm swung open and interrupted his train of thought; Sam walked in, bag slung over his shoulder and headphones blasting too-loud music into his ears. Jesse froze and tried his best not to be noticed as he watched his roommate dance and sing under his breath into the room; but, when the blonde shook his butt a little too hard, Jesse couldn't keep the laughter in his mouth.

Sam jumped and yanked his headphones out of his head, whipping around to meet Jesse's gaze. By now, Jesse had his trademark smirk spread on his thin lips. "You enjoying yourself, there, Samuel?"

"Oh, shut up, Jess." He tossed his bag across the room, his smile not fading from his face despite the embarrassment. "Nothing can ruin my good mood today."

The senior cocked an eyebrow in response. "Oh? And why would that be?"

"Well," Sam said, sitting on his bed to unlace his shoes, "the lacrosse season starts Saturday, soccer tryouts are tomorrow, my date with Kurt is Friday, and I'm currently not failing _any_ of my classes. My dad is gonna be so stoked."

"Even about the Kurt thing?" Jesse crossed his arms behind his head. "Your dad didn't seem to be very ecstatic about your relationship Blaine."

Sam shrugged, "Nahh. After what happened, I guess he's slowly gotten better. He's even been asking when I'm gonna bring someone home again."

Jesse felt a genuine smile form on his face. "Good. There's no reason for your father to feel any other way." He paused for a moment, frowning. "Wait, I can't help but notice that you mentioned an event tomorrow afternoon. Did you forget that you also have an audition tomorrow?"

Sam's face went completely blank for a moment, but, never to be bothered by anything, was quickly replaced with a smile. "Whatever," he laughed. "I wasn't going to get it anyway. It's obvious that the council is going to give it to you and Blaine. Let's be honest."

"I wasn't going to mention it, but yes, it is quite obvious. That duet belongs to the two of us." Jesse grinned. "I never realized how great his voice his, next to mine of course. He's the only Warbler I'd ever like to perform with."

"Jesus, Jesse. Don't make me puke, dude." The blonde junior laughed, pulling off his sweat-stained shirt. "Could you at least pretend for a sec that you aren't bat-shit crazy, head-over-heels in love with the kid? It's starting to make me sick."

Jesse merely glared, grabbing his phone in attempt to ignore his roommate.

"I don't understand how he doesn't notice it," Sam continued. "It's actually kinda impressive."

"It's for the best," Jesse stated flatly, not looking up from his cell phone. "There is no need for me to complicate the situation with my pointless feelings. Blaine and I will claim the duet and we already have the two solos. As long as he wins, I win."

Sam froze, staring at his best friend inquisitively. In the time that they had lived with and known one another, he had never heard Jesse say anything so compassionate and selfless about anyone. "Jesse… are you… feeling alright, dude?"

The senior just glanced up with a confused expression. "Yes, of course I am, Samuel."

"God, you weren't kidding. You really are in love with Blaine, aren't you?"

"I don't understand what the purpose of the conversation is. You know my feelings regarding him, there is no need for us to discuss them again." Jesse began to type on his phone, paying no attention to his best friend.

Sam just chuckled and grabbed a towel from his closet. "I never thought I'd see this side of you, dude."

"I haven't a clue about what you're talking about," Jesse lied, avoiding eye contact. "Nothing has changed, Samuel. Now, please go shower. I can smell you from over here and it's making me nauseous."

The younger boy merely waved his hand at him as he left the room, the door causing an echo through their dorm as it slammed shut. With a sign, he dropped his phone. He had no idea he was being so obvious. Every word he said was the truth and he could see no fault in saying them.

With a groan, the boy rolled over and promptly screamed his frustrations into his pillow.

—xx—

Jesse was never nervous before an audition and today was no exception. As he sat at the piano in the lounge, lazily warming up his voice, he considered the competition. No other Warblers were auditioning together as he and Blaine were, so he knew they already had the upper hand in that sense. He also purposefully placed them last on the list, knowing that being the freshest in their mind was one of the most basic strategies when it came to auditions.

His phone buzzed on the piano and he paused in his warm-ups to check it. Predictably, it was a message from Blaine saying he was on his way. Not bothering to respond, Jesse continued aimlessly playing the piano and humming along. He still hadn't lost the feeling from the night before, feeling uncharacteristically positive for the upcoming events. Sure, he'd always been confident and sure of success, but this felt different.

The door opened and a cheery Blaine strode into the room, looking especially spiffy in a cardinal red sweater-vest and grey slacks. He took a seat down next to Jesse and, without a word, grabbed the lapel of his blazer and pinned something there.

Jesse frowned down at his friend's fingers. "Excuse you, Blainers. You could ask before you begin messing with my wardrobe."

"Shush." Blaine removed his hands and smiled up at him, "I'm giving you a good luck charm. It's one of my pins from when I saw _Wicked _last summer. They've always helped me, so I'm passing some luck on to you. I'm wearing one, too," he pointed at the pin on his vest, "see?"

Pulling his lapel to study the pin, Jesse smiled at the small, green and black design. "Well thank you, Blaine, but we aren't going to need good luck charms." He looked up at his friend, "We're going to absolutely destroy the competition, charm or no, and there is not a thing that they can do about it."

Blaine chuckled and began to play a tune on the keyboard. "I guess that's true, Jesse. But a little help can't hurt anything, can it?" His fingers flew over the keys and he leaned into Jesse to reach further up the piano. The contact immediately sent of surge of heat through Jesse's body and his eyes fluttered shut. Fighting the urge lean into Blaine and relish in his warmth, the older boy subtly scooted over, putting an inch of space between them. Jesse tried to ignore the sting that followed watching the boy he loved completely miss being distanced from.

The door to the lounge opened, interrupting the two of them. Jeff poked his head in the room and saw the two sitting together, and gave Jesse a knowing look. Once again, Jesse found himself bitterly regretting his obvious displays of affection for the first lead, but struggled to shake the feeling.

"Hey, you guys are next. Just letting you know." His voice was heavy with anxiety, "good luck."

When he left the room, the two exchanged a perceptive look and Jesse smirked. "I told you. Everyone else even knows that we're going to kick some serious ass."

Blaine chuckled and broke eye contact to look back at the piano. "I wish I could have your confidence, Jesse. I'm always so nervous when it the time comes to do these things."

"I'm not quite sure why that's your manner of thinking, Blaine." Jesse placed his fingers on the keys, but didn't play. "You're so damn talented and everyone knows it. I know how that feels. The best thing you can do to wrap all that up is to _own_ it. Show people that they don't stand a chance and even if they do, they won't believe it," he looked over at Blaine with a knowing smirk, "and you'll always win."

Blaine stared for a moment before laughing again. "Whatever you say, Jesse. I'm just glad that its you that's going in there with me."

"Just keep in mind, Blainers," he looked back at his hands where they rested on the keys, "if you begin to feel anxious, just look at me and remember that I'll only pester you about it for the rest of your high school career if you don't perform like I know you can."

Fully aware of his friend's sense of humor, words that would have normally spooked any other singer about to audition actually calmed the sophomore's nerves. Before Jesse could give his friend any more pseudo-advice, though, the door opened again and they were gestured out of the room by another auditioner.

"You ready for this, Anderson?" Jesse grinned, standing from the bench.

Taking Jesse's advice on confidence, the younger boy mimicked his smirk. "I was born ready."

—xx—

_A/N: This update is a teeny bit longer than most of the others, but I'd rather do that than split them in half, because this one ends in a pretty perfect spot. Thanks for reading!_

_maria_


	10. Chapter 10

_Chapter 10_

—xx—

It was incredibly hard for Blaine to concentrate on memorizing irregular French verbs and their conjugations when his mind was stuck in both the day before and the one to follow. From the moment he stepped out of his duet audition with Jesse, he had been anxiously awaiting the results, constantly picking the audition apart in his mind. Jesse had assured him that they had done well as they walked out of the room, but Blaine still found himself nerve-wracked. He knew that Jesse performed perfectly; their rehearsals did little to prepare him for how truly talented he was and how easily Jesse could dominate a room with his performances.

To be honest, the thing that worried him the most was that the council would deem Jesse perfect and Blaine subpar, and pair the older boy with one of the other Warblers.

In addition to that, he couldn't help but be constantly reminded that tomorrow his roommate had a date with his ex-boyfriend. Watching Kurt flit around the room each evening and check over his outfit three or four times, checking his phone every couple of seconds, chuckling to himself at something that someone sent him; it all made it very impossible for Blaine to forget about it. However, he didn't dare say a word; Kurt was happy and he deserved it. But, he'd be lying if he said that it was easy to watch.

So, while he conjugated _boire_ for the sixth time, these two major events buzzed through his head and made memorization quite impossible. He kept hoping his phone would buzz with a distraction or someone would come visit, or maybe a meteor would decide to hit Williams Hall; anything to keep him from having to continue his failed efforts to study.

Unfortunately, he was forced to focus when no such catastrophic disaster came, so he struggled on.

Still, he found himself distracted by his persistently annoying mind. He didn't want to be as bothered by any of this as he was, but the audition insisted on tugging at his mind every few minutes, convincing him that he'd failed. As for the date…

Blaine couldn't quite place why it was truly bothering him so much. Surely it wasn't jealousy. He knew that he should be happy for Kurt—and he was, truly he was happy for his friend. But, something about it just made him feel inexplicably sad.

Without warning, the door to his room swung open and successfully—thankfully—interrupted his thought processes. He expected Kurt to appear in the doorway, but was surprised to find Jesse there instead.

"How in the world did you get in here?" Blaine fought the smile building on his face. "The door was locked."

"Insignificant. I am here to retrieve you, Blaine," Jesse strode across the room, closed the book his friend was reading, and pulled him out of his chair. "I am more than certain that you have been sitting here pretending to study while you agonize over our audition, and I am not going to let it continue."

"What? No." Blaine frowned, trying to take his arm back from Jesse. "I have a French exam tomorrow afternoon and I have got to study."

"You aren't studying now, Blaine," he learned over the notebook that lay open, "I can see that you've written the same conjugation repeatedly. Surely your examination isn't over this one word?"

Blaine chuckled. "Jesse, _je dois étuider ce soir._"

"You sound adequate to me. Now, follow me. You do not have a choice in this matter." Jesse then pulled Blaine from the room, only letting him pause to lock his door.

"Alright, where are we going, then?" The sophomore boy stumbled along as his older friend practically dragged him down the hall. "Since I'm not allowed to have a say in whether I stay or go."

"Please be patient, Blaine," Jesse said over his shoulder as he led him down an unfamiliar hallway. "Or do you not trust me in all my vast wisdom?"

Blaine grinned and reclaimed his arm to walk alongside the senior. "I'm not sure why I should trust you," he laughed, "and yet, I still do."

In mock hurt, Jesse put a hand to his heart. "I've given you nothing but reason to place your faith in me, Blaine." He led his friend up a set of stairs and to a door that was clearly not meant for students to make use of. Jesse turned and smiled. "Still trust me?"

Blaine paused for a moment. He knew this was a bad idea, but he had no reason not to trust his friend; and besides, a week's worth of detention definitely beat sitting in his room, brooding and pretending to study. Without a word, Blaine strode past his friend and pushed the door open, "I guess I have no choice."

He registered the grin on his friend's face and walked on up a set of stairs. His smile faded when he scaled the top step, taking in his surroundings with a gasp. Jesse had led them to the roof of their dorm, where the only light was from the waxing moon, the bright, glowing stars, and a few candles that he had placed near two lawn chairs. In front of them, a projection screen had been set up.

"Jesse… what the hell is all this?" Blaine walked forward a couple tentative steps, almost in disbelief in what he was seeing. "When did you… how did you have time for this?"

The older boy grinned, walking past him. "A little bit of money never hurt anyone, Blaine. I had a strong feeling that you were stressing over a couple of things, so I decided to distract you. I believe I've done a decent job, or do you disagree?"

Blaine smiled in a way that completely floored Jesse, in a way that reminded him of that first genuine smile. A surge of warmth coursed through Jesse's body as he joined his friend in the seat next to him. "Tonight, we will be viewing a classic: _West Side Story_."

"This is great, Jesse." Blaine settled in his seat, his smile growing even wider. "It's just what I needed to ignore all the things that are bothering me. Thanks so much."

Jesse merely nodded and started the film. When Blaine's smile didn't fade, even as the first number ended, he noticed that the warm feeling hadn't either. Normally, he felt it necessary to pull Blaine close, wrap an arm around him, and be physically near him. But, this felt different—better, even. Watching Blaine smile like that because of him, it was a completely alien feeling.

It didn't even cross Jesse's mind to make a move.

—xx—

Jesse was disappointed to learn that the results of the audition still hadn't been decided by Friday evening's Warbler rehearsal. He had arrived early in hopes that there would be something posted, perhaps some congratulations as he entered the room, but no sign of any celebration was to be found; and when he tracked down Wes, he had merely said that they hadn't decided yet and walked on.

These events had caused Jesse to sit alone in the Warbler lounge with a deep scowl on his face. Heaven help whoever decided to disturb him.

That person happened to be Kurt, who had arrived early for reasons similar to Jesse's, only to catch Jesse's facial expression and deduce that he would be forced to wait to find the results. Upon noting the senior's general unpleasant demeanor, the countertenor considered walking back to his dorm, but instead, in spirit of refusing to be bullied, took a seat across from him.

A long silence engulfed them and just as Kurt was about to break it with small talk, Jesse surprised him.

"So, I must know," the senior put down the book he had been pretending to read, "what is it that brought you to us? Blaine refuses to divulge such information."

Kurt remained silent for a moment, unsure if there was some ulterior motive, some way that Jesse would manage to use this information against him. After a moment of deliberation, he shrugged and answered, "I was tormented at my last school by a Neanderthal football player that insisted on making my life a living hell. When it became clear that no one intended to help or protect me, my dad decided to pull me out and transfer me here."

Jesse nodded. "People can be such idiots. I'm sure I'll never understand how one person's sexuality is any business of the next. So much wasted effort." The senior paused, then made eye contact with Kurt. "I'm sorry to hear about that, Kurt. No one deserves to be chased out of a place where they should feel safe."

Kurt stared for a moment, almost in disbelief. "Well," he started slowly, "I'm here now, so I can't exactly complain." He broke eye contact and chuckled, "I can't imagine being serenaded by another boy at my old school, that's for certain."

Jesse laughed, "Well, that's not exactly commonplace here, either. Samuel is just a little more…" he contemplated a word that wouldn't insult his friend, "…eccentric than your average Dalton student."

"Well, that's certainly true," Kurt smiled thoughtfully. "He's not like anyone else I've ever met."

Jesse looked up to say something else, but the doors to the lounge opened and a handful of Warblers, Blaine and Sam included, traipsed into the room. Upon seeing the two seated alone in the room, Blaine nudged Sam, whose chattering ceased to look questioningly in their direction. Cautiously, the two took seats next to them.

"Um, hey guys," Blaine sat down across from Kurt, "what… uh, what's up?"

Kurt cocked an eyebrow at his roommate. "Not much, Blaine. Jesse and I were just discussing how absurd it is that they haven't posted the results of the auditions yet."

"Oh, was that this week?" Sam said sarcastically, "I hadn't noticed the three of you losing your shit every day over it."

The three boys narrowed a collective glare at him. "Yes, Samuel," Jesse finally said, "Unlike you, some leads actually give a damn about singing at competitions."

Ignoring his best friend, Sam looked at the junior next to him. "Well, I'm sure the council is just gonna announce it during rehearsal. They like suspense."

Blaine laughed, "like last year when we rehearsed that Maroon 5 song for weeks and then the week before the competition, they changed it. Always with the dramatics." The sophomore leaned back into the couch cushion. "No wonder everyone thinks everyone at this school is gay."

"Are you not?" Kurt joked with a grin.

"Some of us more than others," Jesse said, staring right at Sam.

The blonde junior frowned, "Listen, St. James. Just because I don't sit around brooding and reading plays and constantly singing doesn't make me any less interested in men than you. After all, which one of us has a date tonight?"

Kurt flushed pink and shoved Sam. "Are we really having a contest to see who's the gayest? Jeez, this is really a different vibe here, isn't it?"

Blaine laughed, "Quit bragging, Sam. Besides, we all know Jesse is the gayest of us all."

The oldest boy narrowed his eyes and reclaimed the book on the table without a word.

"I think you're confusing gay and angry, Blaine." Sam laughed, "and in that case, Jesse definitely wins. I'm pretty sure he secretly hates all of us."

"Secretly?" Kurt laughed.

Jesse looked over his book, eyebrows raised at Kurt, who merely mimicked his expression back at him. Despite his qualms for the boy, Jesse had to respect the way he wasn't daunted by his standoffish attitude.

Soon, the group was joined by Jeff and Nick, who took seats next to Blaine on the couch. "So," Jeff started, "How did you guys do on your auditions? Man, Blaine, you guys had such a good idea, doing the duet together. Wish we'd have thought of that!"

Blaine threw up his hands, "Not my idea. It was all Jesse's brilliant plan."

With a sigh, the senior replaced his book back on the coffee table and looked over at the two boys. "As I've said before, I am a performer; a professional. I can't comprehend how any of you are still surprised by the things I do."

Jeff and Nick, by now used to Jesse's arrogance, merely laughed. "Of course, Jesse. How dare we?"

The group, minus Jesse, laughed. The oldest smirked a little and leaned back, "I'm not entirely sure why the council feels the need to delay the results of the audition. It's obvious that it belongs to Blaine and I. Besides the fact that we had the genius idea of auditioning as a duo, rather than alone, we kicked that duet's ass."

Blaine grinned and nodded, "I'm not usually one to be too cocky, guys, but you should be worried."

Just as Kurt was about to protest, the banging of a gavel effectively silenced the entire room. All eyes zeroed in on the council's table, and the whole room seemed to anticipate the results of the duet.

Jesse leaned in to Blaine, brushing shoulders with him, "You needn't worry, Blaine. If anyone deserves a duet, it's you."

Blaine fought the building flush—where had _that_ come from, anyway?—and turned to his friend. "Oh, please. It was you that got it for us. I was just there to make you look even better."

Jesse smiled but didn't respond. Breaking eye contact with Blaine, he tried his best to ignore the knowing looks from the four boys surrounding them. Being transparent was not a character trait he cared much for, but he was not about to be pressured out of giving Blaine the compliments he deserved.

"Alright, Warblers," Wes announced, interrupting Jesse's though processes, "I know we're all very excited about the duet auditions, but we are still in the process of choosing who the two best auditions belonged to, so all of you are going to need to just be patient. We predict that the decision will be final tomorrow afternoon, so until then, I would appreciate if we could just proceed with rehearsal as normal."

A collective groan chorused through the room, causing Wes to bang the gavel a second time to silence them. "Please, gentlemen. Let's act like we have some sense and patience. Jesse?" He called, "We'd like to run through your song again, if you would."

"Gladly." Jesse grinned, squeezing Blaine's leg before standing and taking center stage at the front of the room. The boys in the room rustled in their bags for their music, then the room fell silent.

"_Can anybody find me_

_Somebody to…"_

In an instant, as the Warblers struck up in the opening chorus, Jesse smiled at the difference between Thursday's performance and the one he was witnessing at that moment. The senior grinned at being in such a talented, professional group; one in which he clearly belonged.

Blaine caught the grin on Jesse's face and smiled even as his mouth was open in song. The older boy only ever seemed to look so pleased when in a performance or rehearsal, be it for the Warblers, a play or musical, but it was incredible to watch him completely change into a different person when he found a creative outlet.

The younger boy was not prepared for this particular performance, however, and found his breath caught in his throat, unable to sing once Jesse began the song. Sure, he had heard him singing it with breathtaking passion at the piano a few days prior, but his back had been facing him, masking his face.

Jesse was in _pain_.

Blaine finally found his voice, but he couldn't seem to tear his eyes away from Jesse, who was fortunately looking everywhere but at him. The third lead sung the words with such conviction that the song might as well have been written about and for him. Blaine chanced a look around the room, trying to see if anyone was as troubled by the senior's performance, but everyone seemed to be unmoved.

When Blaine glanced back over at him, Jesse was looking directly at him, almost as if he was singing _to_ him.

"_Got no feel, I got no rhythm __  
><em>_I just keep losing my beat __  
><em>_I'm ok, I'm alright __  
><em>_Ain't gonna face no defeat __  
><em>_I just gotta get out of this prison cell __  
><em>_Someday I'm gonna be free, Lord!"_

Blaine gulped, frozen even after Jesse stopped singing and looked away. The room seemed to go silent,like someone had plugged his ears. It was only after he took another breath that he discovered that he was the only Warbler in the room not singing and quickly joined in.

When Jesse delivered the final line with much vigor, Blaine found his legs working of their own accord. Before he knew what he was doing, he was on hid feet, applauding with fervor. The other Warblers immediately followed suit, but the young first lead hardly noticed. After taking his notes from the council, Jesse reclaimed his seat next to Blaine.

"Damn, Jesse," Sam interrupted, "You kicked that song square in the balls. No wonder they didn't even pick me for a solo this time around."

Kurt nodded in agreement, and looked over at Blaine, who seemed to be lost in his own world. "You okay, Blaine? You look like someone just knocked you in the head."

The youngest Warbler shook his head and feigned an obviously fake smile. "What? No, I'm fine. Jesse, you were beyond incredible. I had no idea…" Blaine bit his lip, not even sure where his own words were going, "I mean, you were great."

Jesse cocked an eyebrow, but was quickly distracted by several other Warblers delivering their own respective compliments. Blaine merely sat silently, unable to shake the strange feeling in the pit of his stomach. He had never recalled being so very moved by a single performance, and for some reason it had truly shaken him.

Once again, the banging of a gavel interrupted all the going-ons in the lounge, and Wes stood. "Quite incredible, Jesse. I can see that we made the right choice in entrusting such a challenging song to you. Now I'd like it if we could split into our respective vocal ranges and practice harmonization for our three numbers—whether you are or plan on soloing for them."

Kurt pursed his lips and waved at his friends as he parted from them, but Blaine missed it completely.

"What a waste of time, don't you agree, Blaine?" Jesse elbowed his friend, then finally noticed that his eyes were rather glazed over and that he had completely missed the last couple minutes of conversation. "Blaine? Blaine, is everything quite alright?"

Once again, the sophomore shook his head and reclaimed his grip on society. "Oh, yeah, sorry." He tried to grin, "I guess I'm just more tired than I thought I was."

Not quite buying it, Jesse scooted in a bit closer. "Blaine," he murmured, "you know it's not necessary or wise to lie to me, right? You might be able to fool all these other idiots," he subtly pointed at the room, "but, I'm different—and we both know that you're well aware of that."

Blaine nodded, smiling softly. "Thanks, Jesse, but I really am okay." He wasn't exactly lying, as he didn't know what was wrong. "I promise that if there's something wrong, you'll be the first person I go to."

The younger boy found himself feeling strangely better when Jesse smiled at his statement and squeezed his shoulder. He grabbed up his music, feeling more like his normal self, shooing off the strange feeling and grinning widely.

Sam left his music sitting on the table between the two couches, unable to read it well enough for it to do any good. "I wish we'd just get this rehearsal over with already." He grinned at no one in particular. "I need to get ready for my date."

And just like that, Blaine's smile vanished.

_A/N: WE'RE SO CLOSE TO MY FAVORITE PART OF THE STORY!_

_maria_


	11. Chapter 11

chap 11

—xx—

Jesse found great joy in watching his roommate tear apart his half of the room, desperately trying to find the perfect this and that to wear in anticipation of his date with Kurt Hummel that evening. In the time that they had known each other, he had never observed him in such a state; usually, the blonde was the definition of carefree, not even stressed like a normal student during midterms and finals.

"Samuel," the senior called from where he was relaxing on his bed. "_Samuel_."

The blonde poked his head out from his closet and replied with an anger-laced, "_What_?"

Jesse chuckled and stood, striding across the room to grab his best friend by the shoulders. "Samuel, you are going to _have_ to calm down. You're are about to cause _me_ to go into cardiac arrest."

Sam frowned, "I just know I'm gonna screw this up. Kurt's _way_ too good for me. I should just call, I should just cancel. I should have never—"

"Samuel!" Jesse gripped the junior's shoulders even harder. "Seriously, do not make me sit here and compliment you. Neither of us wants that. Now, come on." He steered the boy towards his bed and practically shoved him down. "Stop flitting about. It's giving me a headache."

"Well, I can always count on you to say just the right thing," Sam jibed sarcastically with a laugh. "And somehow, I still feel better."

"Of course you do." The older boy returned to his bed and collapsed backwards, looking down at his phone. "So, tell me your plan for the evening, Samuel. Perhaps I can make sure you're not going to completely fuck this up."

Sam stared incredulously for a moment, not sure if asking Jesse for help was a good idea or not. "Well, we're doing dinner, and then—"

"Where are you taking him?" Jesse interrupted, still not looking up.

"Um, I dunno. We have to drive into downtown Columbus to get to that musical, so I thought we'd just find someplace…" Sam caught Jesse's sudden judgmental glare and his face immediately fell. "What? Oh, god. I knew it, I'm gonna screw this up. That's it, I'm gonna cancel."

"Oh, _good lord_, Samuel. Stop being such a damn drama queen." He huffed, "I'll find you a place to go. Jesus. I have to do everything for you. What does Hummel like?"

Sam stared blankly, mouth slightly agape.

With a deep sigh, Jesse pulled himself out of bed. "You're hopeless. Actually hopeless. Okay, okay. Text Blaine and ask him what Kurt likes to eat. You want to retain the surprise factor. At this point, it may be all you have."

When Sam frowned, Jesse gave him a shove in the shoulder and grinned at him. "Come on, now, Samuel, that was a _joke_. Hummel clearly is crazy about you. If you make a couple of mistakes, I'm sure he'll manage to ignore them. Now, text Blaine."

—xx—

_wat does kurt like 2 eat. plzzz HELP!_

Blaine groaned aloud and rolled over so that he was laying face first on his pillow. He had had about enough of this whole date business. He wasn't even being taken out and yet he felt like he was doing an obscene amount of work for it. While Kurt futzed with his hair across the room, Blaine reluctantly typed back a response without asking his roommate for an answer. Damn Samuel for not already knowing what his_ own damn date _wanted tonight. For once, the excessive smiley faces and exclamation points in Sam's response did little lighten his mood; if anything, he wanted to throw his phone at the wall harder than ever. He didn't care to be involved in any of this.

Still, he managed to hold onto his phone and not destroy it. He sent a swift text to Jesse, stating bluntly that his roommate was, for lack of a better word, an idiot. Before he could even set his phone down, it buzzed in response.

_You don't need to tell me. I can't wait until he's gone so I can stop giving a damn about this date that involves me in no way._

Blaine chuckled; at least Jesse felt the same way. For some reason, that made him feel a little less lonely in the process of watching Kurt and Sam look so _damn_ pleased to be together.

Although, pleased wasn't exactly the word that Blaine would have used at that point to describe Kurt. He seemed determined to get his hair to stand in a way that it wasn't quite agreeing with. From across the room, he could hear Kurt suck in a breath, watched him push his hair up, hold it, then move his hands. Each time, it would stay for a moment, then a stray hair would fall and Kurt would groan.

Blaine found it both adorable and hilarious, and he couldn't help but chuckle.

"_Blaine_," Kurt snapped, turning to narrow a glare at him, "there is _nothing_ funny about my stupid, fricking hair not wanting to fricking cooperate._" _When Blaine only laughed in response, Kurt stood and strode over to him and instant. "_Stop _it, Blaine! I'm not afraid to tickle you!"

"I dare you," Blaine teased, sticking out his tongue.

"You asked for it!" Kurt tackled him, no longer concerned about his hair, and began tickling his roommate with no constraint. Even as Blaine called for him to stop through the giggles, Kurt refused, despite the fact that a loud rapping came to their door.

And that's how Sam Evans first saw his date that evening: pressing another boy down into a bed, both of them red in the face. Anyone else would probably have stormed out in a jealous rage, but Sam merely laughed and said, "Jeez, Blaine. Making a move on my date, huh?"

Blaine turned his head to make a snarky response, but found himself speechless when he caught sight of Sam. The normally disheveled boy looked unusually well put-together, no doubt thanks to Jesse. Kurt seemed to be devoid of speech for the same reason, as he had stopped tickling his roommate to stare at his date.

When Kurt jumped off of him to walk over to Sam, suddenly gushing over his outfit and showering him in compliments, Blaine felt odd and out of place. More so than that, the sophomore lay on his bed feeling the crushing weight of sadness.

"Well," Sam said, not seeming to notice the bizarre look on Blaine's face, "you look just fantastic, Kurt. Except… one thing…" He reached up tentatively, hand shaking subtly, to brush a few stray hairs upward. He grinned when they stuck. "Perfect."

Kurt flushed bright pink and avoided eye contact, narrowing his eyebrows. "Are you finished primping, Samuel? I'd like to get going."

The blonde chuckled softly and slipped a hand into Kurt's. "But of course, sir."

Blaine observed this from his bed, willing himself to disappear. Watching the two interact made him almost feel sick, the way they were so easy together and, more prominently, they way they could so easily ignore him there. The way _he _could ignore him so easily.

That last thought stopped him short. Suddenly, the two were forgotten when he finally realized the reason why this was hurting so much. It wasn't about being left out; it wasn't about being alone and watching his two friends being happy together while he had no one.

It wasn't about any of that at all.

Suddenly, watching the two laughing together and watching them smile at each other began to physically hurt and he was aware that he was fighting back tears.

"Okay, Blaine, we're gonna get going." Sam grinned in his direction, somehow managing to still maintain eye contact with Kurt. "Don't wait up, if you know what I mean."

The following wink actually made Blaine want to hurl and when Kurt pushed him away with a giggle, he thought he might. Fortunately, Sam dragged him out of the room and the door slammed shut; and before Blaine even knew exactly why, the tears gave way.

Fucking love.

—xx—

Blaine must have fallen asleep at some point, because a swift knocking at his door suddenly roused him. As he groaned and shoved himself out of bed, he found himself feeling even worse when he discovered that he had been crying in his sleep. The knocking came again and Blaine shouted, "Give me a damn second!"

There was a second of silence before he heard from the other side of the door, "…Blaine?

Blaine stopped short in front of the door. He hadn't expected it to be Jesse; the senior never found it necessary to knock before entering. Often times he found his way into Blaine's room even when the door was locked.

When Blaine didn't respond, Jesse called again. "Blaine, please say something. Is everything fine? I'm…" there was a long pause, as if he was debating whether to say what was on his mind or not, "…oh, come on, Blaine. Let me in."

"Why are you here, Jesse?" Blaine said a little too sharply. "I'm not exactly in the mood for company." He didn't mean to sound so standoffish. Something about the last couple of hours had rubbed him the wrong way and Jesse just happened to be there to face the brunt of it.

"All right. I'm coming in." The knob shook and turned a few times before Blaine heard the lock click and the door squeal open, slowly revealing Jesse's obviously concerned expression. "Now, what's this all about? I had every intention of bothering you with my inane studies tonight, but it seems—" Jesse finally got a good look at Blaine's face and was cut short. "Blaine… are you… have you been crying?"

"What?" Blaine turned away from his friend and dragged an arm against his eyes, swiping away any stray tears. "No, of course not. I just woke up, that's all."

"Oh, please," Jesse said, putting a hand on the boy's shoulder and spinning him back to him, "as if you could hide such a thing from me. As if I hadn't seen you cry before." His tone softened along with his facial expression. "Blaine, we have been over this. You are well aware that you can always talk to me and that I will never reveal anything that's said to anyone else; that I will not think any less of you for anything you say."

Blaine pushed away from him, frowning, "Quit it. Just stop. Maybe, for once, I don't want to spill all my insecurities to you, okay? Maybe it's none of your business."

Jesse frowned, studying Blaine's face. For what must have been the billionth time, Jesse wished he possessed the ability to read his thoughts. He thought for a long moment, trying to decide what could have possibly transformed the normally bubbly Blaine into this crying, depressed wreck.

"Oh," he said with a sudden rush of realization. "This is about him, isn't it?"

Despite the following, almost accusative "What?" Blaine's face completely gave him away. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Jesse strode past him and sat on Blaine's bed, looking up at him. "I'm not an idiot, Blaine. This change in character of yours is obviously about Samuel and Kurt's date."

When Blaine went completely silent and avoided eye contact, Jesse had his answer. Blaine frowned, not fond of being so transparent. However, Jesse was right; they knew each other too well for him to be able to hide something that was affecting him so. He wasn't sure what was keeping him from talking about it with Jesse. It was normally so easy to do so with him, but for some reason he wanted to keep this inside; didn't want to admit why he was hurting.

"Blaine, talk to me," Jesse said, eyes pleading. "Or, do you not trust me anymore?"

"It…" Blaine attempted, frowning when he couldn't make out the words. "It just doesn't seem… fair."

Jesse cocked an eyebrow, standing from the bed. "What doesn't?"

Blaine looked down, anticipating that the tears would resurface. "That I'm _invisible _now. He doesn't even see me! Kurt and Sam are just _so damn happy_ together and he's happier with him than he'd ever be with me."

Silence found the room again and Blaine didn't dare look up. He fought the impending choking sobs as tears rolled silently down his cheeks. On his tongue, he felt the words that he feared even admit to himself, much less say them aloud and confess them to Jesse. And yet, he looked up and out they spilled in one jumbled mess.

"…That I'm in love with him."

In an instant, Blaine was pressed against Jesse's chest, soaking his shirt with tears. He blubbered something unintelligible and Jesse just wrapped his arms around him, well trained and more than used to dealing with a sad Blaine.

But, as many times as Jesse had witnessed Blaine unhappy, this felt different. He had never encountered him shaking with tears, shuddering with his melancholy. Blaine always cried quietly, almost ashamed of being sad; but at this moment, it seemed that either he couldn't control it or that he just didn't care.

"I hadn't a clue…" Jesse started, "Didn't have a clue that Kurt meant this much to you."

Blaine jerked back, eyes red and teary. "What—wait… Jesse," he narrowed a confused, watery look at him, "Jesse, its not Kurt. I'm still in love with Sam."

Jesse's eyes went wide and he froze in confusion. Meanwhile, in his arms, Blaine burst out into tears once again. It was almost as if saying the statement aloud made it palpable and real.

"…Samuel?" Jesse managed, still unable to move.

Blaine nodded shakily, wiping his tears. "I never stopped loving him…" he managed, avoiding eye contact. "Us breaking up… it wasn't my idea. It was never my idea. But I was the one that invited him to that stupid dance; I was the one that pushed it even though he was worried about getting bullied. I owed him the freedom to walk away." He hitched a breath and the tears began to fall again. "I j-just never th-thought he'd d-d-do it…. I a-always hoped he'd c-come back." He took a deep breath, "But he never did… and now I know he never will."

Seeing him like that, with his eyes rimmed red and wide with heartbreak, Jesse couldn't help but wipe away his tears; couldn't help brush his damp curls away from his eyes. His fingers lingered on his face and his heart pounded uncomfortably in his chest.

And before he knew what he was doing, he was kissing Blaine.

It was everything he'd always wanted it to be and more, god, even more than he'd imagined. In an instant, he'd pushed Blaine against the wall, their lips moving softly together. He had never felt his heart speed the way that it was then, never felt like a moment could be so perfect. Jesse raked a hand through Blaine's curls, marveling at how he was there, in his arms, solid and real and warm. His mouth tasted of salt and of _Blaine_, a taste Jesse'd had wondered for months, kissing him and relishing in how he could feel the boy respond to his touch, feeling hopeful, wondering why he hadn't done this sooner.

When he finally pulled away, Blaine's eyes were still closed. Jesse leaned forward, pressing their foreheads together and smiling at the way they were heaving simultaneous breaths. Suddenly, the fear to say the words he'd been holding back for nearly a year and all of his inhibitions vanished. It finally felt natural and right.

"Blaine, I'm—"

He felt Blaine's hands connect with his chest and shove him away. "How _dare_ you? How _fucking dare you?_" And then Blaine was crying again. "How dare you take advantage of me? Is that all I am to you?" The younger boy choked back a sob, but didn't interrupt the livid glare he was narrowing at Jesse. "I'm just a piece of meat? You think that because I'm sad because the boy I'm in love with doesn't care for me at all, that you can take advantage of that and hurt me just so you can get laid?"

Hurt was washed away by bubbling anger when Jesse registered his friend's words and shouted at Blaine, something he'd never done. "How dare _I_? What the _fuck_ do you think of _me_, Blaine? Do you think that _little_ of me that I'd hurt you that way? Blaine…" he never wanted it to be like this, never wanted to say something so meaningful and special like this, "Blaine, I'm fucking _in love_ with you." He never wanted this. But he was a person and he could get hurt, too. "Fuck you, Blaine."

Blaine stood, frozen and unable to say anything—unable to _think_ of anything—that could fix this; that could at least break the silence.

But all he could manage was, "I'm sorry."

Jesse strode to the door, throwing it open. He paused in the doorway for a moment to look over his shoulder, glaring right into Blaine's eyes. "Not sorry enough." The door slammed shut, rattling the walls and threatening to crack the frame.

Blaine's knees buckled and he collapsed on the floor.

—xx—

_A/N: REALLLLLY NERVOUS ABOUT POSTING THIS ONE. I mean, ughhhh it's like a major turning point and when I started writing this back in November, I knew this scene was going to happen. I hope I did it justice!_

_Also, let me apologize for the massively late update. I had finals last week, then immediately had to pack up my entire apartment into storage and drive across the country. But here it is! I hope you enjoyed it!_

_ maria_


	12. Chapter 12

_Chapter 12_

—xx—

Sam's broad smile seemed to be permanent fixture on his face. From the moment they'd walked away from his door, the blonde couldn't stop smiling. Only when he managed faux pas did his smile seem to falter. He seemed to be both terribly excited to be on the date and also completely petrified of screwing up. Every couple of minutes, his grin would fall and he'd panic, and even once they were in the car, he totally contemplated calling the whole date off.

Kurt found all of this utterly endearing. Every time Sam would trip over some invisible obstacle on the sidewalk or almost bump into a door, Kurt's small smile would spread wider across his lips. When they reached Sam's truck, a white, obnoxiously lifted thing, Kurt chuckled. "Is this ridiculous vehicle supposed to somehow make up for your sexuality?"

Sam had jogged up to open the door for his date in usual chivalrous manner and he paused before laughing nervously. "My dad bought it for me, so probably. Although, being a country boy, I can't complain too much."

"Country?" Kurt groaned mockingly, fighting the impending smile, "Oh, no. This isn't going to work, then."

The joke flew right over Sam's head and his smile fell, "What? Really? I mean, we don't have to listen to country, we can listen to whatever. You know what, I'll just—"

"Sam-u-el," Kurt enunciated, "calm _down_. I'm joking."

"Oh," Sam breathed, staring blankly for a moment before he helped Kurt into his truck. "Right." The grin resurfaced.

The brunette settled in his seat, studying the surroundings of the new, yet completely trashed vehicle. He considered saying something but wasn't sure he wanted to coax his date out of another nervous breakdown, so he chose to remain silent.

When Sam started the truck, his iPod booted up and began to play a song. Sam panicked and tried to pull it out of the jack, but Kurt swatted his hand away. "Samuel, you are definitely going to have to stop this nonsense. I'm not going to end this date if I don't like your music."

The blonde's shoulders fell and he breathed out. "Right, right. Sorry. I'm just a little nervous, if you hadn't noticed."

Kurt grasped his iPod and smiled. "I hadn't, actually. You seem perfectly normal to me." He looked down. "Now, what fine music are we listening to on this trip to wherever it is we're going?"

Before Sam could answer, music started to pour from the speakers. It certainly wasn't anything Kurt had heard before and yet he didn't find himself completely hating it. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Sam smiling and moving subtly to the music. Despite the high volume, he could hear Sam's soft tenor singing along vaguely. He didn't recognize the lyrics but he wasn't completely opposed to listening to the song, especially if Sam was going to be singing.

When Sam paused in his singing, Kurt smiled over at him and asked, "So, what musical stylings are we listening to?"

"Blake Shelton," he answered, not moving his eyes from the road. "I can change it if you like."

"No, no." Kurt assured, "I like it. And you seem to be pretty good at singing it."

Sam instantly frowned, and Kurt could have sworn he saw his cheeks flare in the dark of the car. "I'm sorry. I'll stop. I didn't know you could hear me."

Kurt rolled his eyes dramatically. "Sam. I said you were _good_ at singing it. Why would that mean you should stop? Stop being such a nervous wreck. I obviously like you." He reached over and grabbed Sam's hand where it lay on the console. "I'm happy to be here, wherever here may end up being. So, please, just take a deep breath."

The blonde's worries melted when he felt Kurt's thin, nimble fingers curl and fit perfectly between his own. He loved the way when he felt their fingers graze each other, when their palms touched, a subtle jolt of electricity traveled through his hands down to his toes. He had always imagined Kurt's slight frame and slender hands would be cool to the touch, but his hand in his was warm, inviting.

Sam finally tore his eyes away from the road to look at Kurt with a soft smile, who immediately flushed and avoided eye contact. Sam considered teasing, but instead looked back at the road and began singing along again, this time with a bit more volume.

Kurt's smile resurfaced with Samuel's singing, and he leaned against the window with a contented sigh. Being with Sam was so different than hanging out with Blaine; the two of them would drive around in Kurt's Navigator blasting showtunes and laughing until it hurt, always managing to end up at the Lima Bean to argue over which musical had the best opening number and who they would be best suited to play. Kurt had had a short infatuation with Blaine, being that he was the first out gay boy he'd been very close to, but they lacked the chemistry to add up to much of anything. The junior boy liked it that way. He had never had a best friend that he connected to so well, a person who was so similar and could talk to for hours about all the things he loved. Perhaps their similarities kept them from amounting to a couple, but Kurt didn't mind.

Being with Samuel was like being thrust into a whole other world. He had never known what it was like to have a boyfriend or anything like it; the closest he had gotten was when he had had that short, irrelevant fling with Brittany. If that had been any indication of how it would go, Kurt would have steered clear. Fortunately, it seemed to be all the things those cheesy pop songs said about finding someone. The way Sam absentmindedly held his hand, the way the warmth from it seemed to spread from his hand throughout his whole body; the way that he smiled from the other side of the car; the way that it felt like they could be easy and comfortable, it was all everything he'd ever wanted and more.

He wished he could just freeze this moment, save this feeling.

"So," Kurt finally said as the song playing ended. "Where _are _we going?"

Sam paused, remembering Jesse's advice to retain the surprise. He grinned at the road, "Well, the musical is in Columbus. I thought we'd just hit a McDonalds or something…"

"Samuel, you—" Kurt looked over and saw him grinning from the driver's seat. "Oh, my god! You are _not_ funny."

"Oh, come on, Kurt." He looked over briefly to smile at him, "It's a surprise. Just sit back and enjoy the southern hospitality of country music and we'll be there before you know it."

—xx—

As it turned out, Sam had pulled out all the stops for the evening. Also, he was loaded. As the two walked up to the restaurant, Kurt couldn't help but notice that it was wedged in between two buildings, looking completely non-descript. There was a menu framed on the door and Kurt caught the name as he walked in, noting in his head that it was French. Sam had done his homework.

When they stepped inside, Kurt suddenly felt completely underdressed in jeans. However noting that his date also had jeans on, he was slightly comforted. Samuel straightened his blazer and grinned at his date, grabbing his hand. Kurt flushed bright red at the public display of affection, but felt a small surge of pride when the hostess hardly noticed and led them to their table. He felt even prouder when she sat them with a smile and wished them a good night.

Maybe that "it gets better" spiel wasn't all bullshit.

Kurt gaped when he opened the menu and looked up to notice that Samuel didn't bat an eye. "I can't pronounce half the stuff on this menu, man," he admitted with a grin, looking up. "You're gonna have to—what?"

"Sam, this place is out of control expensive! You don't have to shell out this kind of money for me! Let's go somewhere else. I'll pay."

Sam smiled with a chuckle and looked back down at his menu. "It's not that bad," he squinted at a word, wrinkling his forehead in frustration. "I'm sure Dad will barely notice."

The following grin was all the explanation Kurt needed.

"Why is this _whole_ menu in French?" Sam complained, frowning in annoyance. "How are _normal_ people supposed to read this?"

Kurt quirked an eyebrow. "Normal people, huh? What would that make me, Samuel?"

Sam stuck a tongue out at his date. "_Not_ normal, duh."

With a groan, Kurt snatched the menu from Sam's fingers and folded it on the table. "Don't you worry, Samuel. I will order for you. Turns out that my not being normal will be an advantage this evening." He winked at his date.

Sam grinned, finally feeling at ease again with Kurt. "I've never had French food before. My parents aren't big on foreign stuff. Southern people, you know?"

"I don't," Kurt chuckled without looking up from the menu. "But, I'll keep that in mind when I choose something for you, Samuel. Nothing too strange, I promise."

The blonde folded his menu with a smile and leaned forward. "So, is this the part where we're supposed to tell each other about ourselves?"

Kurt laughed softly but still didn't make eye contact, "I'm not sure, Sam. I've never actually been on a date before."

Sam pulled the menu from his date's hands to meet his gaze. "Wait, really? Now that's surprising."

"Oh, please," Kurt huffed, fighting the impending flush on his cheeks. He scrambled for his menu. "Flattery will get you nowhere, Samuel. Besides, my old school wasn't exactly crawling with attractive homosexuals."

"So," Sam said, grinning as he pulled down the menu once more, "you think I'm attractive, then?"

Puffing out his cheeks slightly, Kurt narrowed his eyes at the blonde. "Clever. Yes, Sam. I suppose I do."

Sam's grin spread further into a wide, toothy smile. "So, no guys at your old school—what's it called again?"

"McKinley," Kurt responded shortly, reclaiming his menu.

"McKinley High," Sam repeated. "Couldn't find any gays there, you met Blaine and he convinced you to come to the gayest school in the tri-state area, then?"

Kurt laughed, a slight nervous edge to his tone, and lowered his menu once again. "No… not quite."

"Then what was it, huh?" Not noticing Kurt's slight unease, Sam prodded further. "The Warblers?"

"Kind of." Kurt shrugged, "I was sort of… chased from my old school. By a bully who threatened to kill me."

Sam's mouth fell open in a small 'o' shape. For a moment, the two sat in awkward silence before Sam mumbled an apology. "I didn't know…"

The other boy just laughed. "You've no need to apologize, Sam! You didn't come to my school and push me into lockers."

Sam frowned, "Who is this guy? I already don't like him."

"That's very chivalrous of you, Sam, but I left that guy behind. I think he just had a lot he hadn't faced yet that I was forcing him to deal with." When Sam just stared in confusion, Kurt waved a hand. "Nevermind that. How did _you_ end up at Dalton? You don't seem like all the other preppy guys around here."

Now it was Sam's turn to purse his lips in hesitation. The blonde junior had actually never told that particular story to anyone, not even Jesse. To those around him, he seemed unfazed by it, especially in comparison to how Blaine had handled it. Still, Kurt had shared his past—it would be hypocritical for Sam to not do the same.

"I… kinda had the same thing happen to me, sorta." He leaned back in his chair and subconsciously crossed his arms over his chest. "I dunno if you knew or not, but Blaine and I used to be together," he studied Kurt's face for reaction, and when he got none, he continued. "At our old school, we were the only two out kids and luckily enough we actually liked each other, so we started dating.

"Everyone knew that Blaine was gay—he was quiet then, but from the way he dressed and acted, they all just knew; and none of those jock assholes cut him a break." He paused at the still-painful memory. "They shoved him into lockers and called him names and the kid just had a terrible time with it.

"Watching that happen every day, some of these guys, they were my friends, you know? It sucked. I didn't know Blaine that well, but no one deserves to be treated like that. At first, it scared me. I dated a bunch of girls I didn't even like so people wouldn't notice, so I wouldn't get treated that way. But, one day, I just knew I couldn't lie to everyone else, that I couldn't lie to myself anymore; one day, I walked by as they shoved him into the wall and they stole his bag from him and I just grabbed the dude's arm and basically said, 'If you're gonna beat the shit outta this kid for being gay, then I guess you gotta beat me up, too.'

"And just like that, I was out. When I said it, the guys kinda stopped and for a while I thought they'd leave me alone. And Blaine and I got really close and one day I just asked him out because it felt right. For a while, we were quiet and everything was fine. Then, that stupid dance had to happen.

"Blaine wanted to go so badly. At first, I was worried; worried about the looks and the whispers. But, the way he pleaded and begged and dropped it into every conversation, I couldn't say no. So, we went. Even though my parents kept saying it was a bad idea, we went to that stupid dance together. And, I mean, it was fun… until the end."

Sam paused for a moment. It had been a long time since he had let himself remember that night, remember how happy Blaine had been to dance with him in public; remember how great he had looked and how Sam had felt optimistic; remember waiting outside the gym for their ride…

As if he could sense all of this, Kurt reached across the table and grasped his hand. Sam looked up, slightly startled, and met Kurt's soft, almost apologetic gaze. "You don't have to go on if you don't want to."

Sam shook his head and gripped Kurt's hand. "These guys… they… well, they beat the shit out of us outside the gym. Broke my arm with a wooden bat. Nearly killed Blaine by hitting him over the head over it. I remember it knocked him out and I felt _so damn helpless_ watching him there…"

The silence returned again, and Kurt merely held Sam's hand, wishing he knew what to say. "I'm…" he tried, "…so sorry, Sam."

The blonde tried to play it off by being aloof, shrugging his shoulders unconvincingly, but didn't take back his hand. "We're both okay now, I guess. My dad, who had hated the idea of me being gay before, was, like, suddenly up in arms about the whole thing and threatened the school with a lawsuit for letting it happen on their property. He transferred me to Dalton in a heartbeat. I guess Blaine's parents heard about it and did the same. When Blaine woke up, we kinda decided to just end things. Thank God Jesse stepped in and took care of him. God knows I wasn't in the right place to do it."

Kurt furrowed his brow, trying to imagine Jesse St. James nursing an emotionally—and physically—traumatized Blaine back to normal; imagine him being soft and caring.

Sam chuckled softly, "I guess you know about Jesse, huh? Everyone but Blaine does."

"Yeah," Kurt laughed, taking his hand back when Sam released it, seeming to return to ease. "He's not so subtle about it. Blaine really is pretty oblivious, isn't he?"

"That's what I've been telling Jesse, man." He shrugged. "Told him to be direct and just tell him that he loves him, but the dude is scared or something."

The other boy laughed at the thought of Jesse being scared of anything, but was stopped short when he registered Sam's entire sentence. "Wait… '_loves'_?"

Sam's eyes went wide as he realized the implications of the question his date had just posed, then breathed out a swift puff of air. "Jeez, I thought you knew. Crap, Jesse is gonna kill me if he ever finds out. Yeah, the dude is totally head-over-heels, crazy, stupid in love with that midget. It's actually kind of sad to watch."

"And Blaine truly has no idea," Kurt pointed out aloud, "how sad."

"I think he'll tell him one day," Sam shrugged with a lopsided grin. "Otherwise the dude is gonna go nuts. Knowing Jesse, he'll have some complicated, well-thought out way of telling him; and when he does, Blaine is gonna go gaga and realize that he's liked him all along."

chap 14

—xx—

All the community theatre showings of _Rent_ in the world couldn't have possibly prepared Kurt for seeing it in the city. He hadn't even minded Sam whispering questions in his ear throughout nearly the whole thing. The entire show had been incredible, only improved by Sam's arm wrapped snug around his shoulder for the entire duration of the performance. The casual conversation on the drive back with Sam's fingers loosely intertwined with his only enhanced the evening further; Kurt kept expecting himself to suddenly awaken from some elaborate, perfect dream because it all seemed too good to be true—even the country music playing softly through the speakers.

As the two walked hand-in-hand up to their floor, Kurt suddenly felt the terrifying pressure of anxiety as he realized what came next. He'd seen enough romantic comedies to know that the date usually closed with some sort of kiss and Kurt couldn't help but feel totally aware of how little experience he had in such matters. He was so distracted by this thought that he barely noticed that they'd arrived at his door until Sam began speaking.

Kurt looked up in horror when he realized that he had no idea what his date had just said. "What?"

Sam raised an eyebrow in question. "I said that I had fun tonight, Kurt. I've never been to a musical before. It was… cool."

"So," the shorter boy looked up at him, suddenly hyper aware of the fact that his back was touching his door, "you're saying that you'd like to do this again, Samuel?"

Sam smiled goofily and flushed slightly. "Yeah," he mumbled, "I guess I am."

There was a long moment of silence in which Sam looked down at Kurt, his gaze flitting between his eyes and his lips. Kurt could practically taste his heart as it came up his throat, unsure of how he could possibly be more nervous about anything in his whole life.

Sam bit his lip tentatively and murmured, "Kurt?"

The shorter boy managed to choke out a response, despite his restricted breathing. "Um. Yeah?"

Swallowing hard, the blond forced out the words stuck in his throat. "CanIkissyou?"

Kurt froze, too stunned to find Sam endearing at the moment. After what felt like minutes, the shorter boy met Sam's gaze and nodded several times.

Sam smiled nervously and leaned in, meeting Kurt's lips with his own in a soft, warm kiss. His hands found the shorter boy's lithe waist and stepped in closer, tentatively skating his tongue along his bottom lip. When Kurt opened his mouth slightly, Sam sighed into his mouth, deepening the kiss as the other boy's hands wound their way into his blond locks. Their mouths moved together softly for a moment before Sam pulled away, his eyes still shut.

"Oh, _wow_."

At Kurt's breathy whisper, the other boy's eyes fluttered open and he grinned. "Yeah… same…"

"You've redeemed yourself from that drunken kiss on Saturday, Sam."

Sam laughed, wrapping his arm around Kurt's waist to pull him closer. "Good. I'd hate to have you think that that was all I had in me." He leaned in and chanced a chaste kiss.

Kurt smiled and flushed, "Okay, okay, lover boy. Time for you to go home, and time for me to catch up on my moisturizing routine." He leaned up and stole one more kiss before pushing Sam away gently. "Goodnight, Samuel Evans." He quickly unlocked his door and opened it, disappearing away into his room.

Sam, unable to wipe a now permanent grin from his face, stood frozen in awe for several seconds before fist-pumping shamelessly. He shoved his hands in his pockets and began the short walk down the hall to his room, unlocking the door to his room. Unfortunately, what he was faced with when he opened it to reveal his dorm stopped him in his tracks.

—xx—

_A/N: OoOoOoOoh drama. Sorry about the wait. As it is summer, I'm working 40 hours weeks, so I'm usually rather exhausted come the end of the day. HOPE YOU ENJOYED IT_


	13. Chapter 13

_Chapter 13_

—xx—

Nearly stumbling into the room, Kurt Hummel sucked in a breath and pressed his back against the closed door behind him, sliding down against it and not feeling a little bit cliché about it. For a minute, he reveled in the happiness that the evening had bought. He supposed that this was what people in all those teenage romantic comedies felt, and he instantly took back all the rude remarks he'd made amount them. He felt giddy and stupid and young and happy and he couldn't even remember the dark place he'd been in just over a month ago. He smiled, closing his is eyes and replaying the evening again and again in his mind, his smile spreading across his face and his head bowed. He just wanted to freeze the moment, remember this happiness and store it away for future reference.

Finally, he managed to gather himself together and push himself from the ground and walk towards his bead. In his happy, goofy daze, Kurt nearly didn't notice anything bizarre about his room. In fact, he made it all the way to his bed before he realized that all of the lights, except for Blaine's bedside lamp, were off. Pursing his lips in confusion, the junior turned, wondering why Blaine would leave his light on but turn off all the rest before leaving. Shrugging, the boy strode across the room with intention of shutting it off and heading straight to bed, despite his comment to Sam about his moisturizing routine.

However, he stopped short when he heard stifled, staggered breathing coming from Blaine's bed. He quirked an eyebrow and moved slowly towards his roommate's bed, and that's when he noticed that someone was under the covers. Another hitched breath came, this time louder. Kurt froze as he made the connection between the sound and its source, then immediately slipped out of his shoes and shrugged off his jacket onto the floor. He paused in front of Blaine's bed for a moment, unsure of what exactly to do. He considered the boundaries between them, as they were only friends, but pushed the reluctance from his mind before timidly pulling back the covers and slipping in behind the crying boy. At the touch, Blaine froze, even as Kurt wrapped his arms around him. The younger boy sniffled subconsciously, almost holding back as Kurt held him. He placed a soft, comforting hand on Blaine's cheek and felt him stiffen, knowing he was trying his best to remain strong, trying not to fall apart. Few people had seen Blaine lose his footing and break down, but when Kurt rested his forehead on the back of Blaine's head and breathed softly, he could feel his walls crumbling.

Then, as if a floodgate was opened, Blaine was crying, sobbing, his entire body shuddering in Kurt's arms. The older boy simply held him closer, the way a mother would hold a crying child. There wasn't a romantic thing about it—Kurt just knew that physical contact was all he had to offer in this situation. He had never seen his best friend like this and it tore him apart; this boy, who had never purposefully hurt anyone, broken. Every now and then, Blaine would blubber something unintelligible, to which Kurt would just shush and mumble something soothing.

When none of his attempts seemed to calm his friend, Kurt took in a short breath, trying to recall the lyrics as he sang at almost a murmur:

"_Cold is the water_

_It freezes your already cold mind_

_Already cold, cold mind"_

Blaine froze momentarily at the soft tune, an abnormal melody for Kurt's range. Yet, somehow, it was wholly perfect and soothing and he found himself suddenly turned into the older boy's chest, sobbing harder.

"_And death is at your doorstep_

_And it will steal your innocence_

_But it will not steal your substance"_

Kurt gripped his friend as he continued, trying not to tear up himself as he watched the sophomore boy fall apart. As he trudged on through the song, he could feel Blaine's violent shuddering calming, could hear his sobbing gradually quieting.

"_But you are not alone in this_

_And you are not alone in this_

_As brothers we sill stand_

_And we'll hold your hand_

_Hold your hand."_

Kurt merely repeated the chorus softly, over and over. At some point, Blaine's crying completely ceased and he was merely lying in his friend's arms, listening to his gentle tone. The older boy stopped singing for a moment and the two lay in a comfortable silence. At that moment, Kurt realized he had never seen Blaine look so _small_, all curled up in his arms and crying. He did not know what had done this to his friend, didn't know who or why, but none of that mattered at that moment. All he wanted was to comfort him; he only wished he could take this pain from him and put it on himself. Seeing his best friend this way, completely broken, broke Kurt a little, too.

"I'm such an idiot." Blaine mumbled, his voice scratchy. "I j-just dunno what…" he sniffled, tears reappearing in his eyes as he remembered, "I just _don't know_ what I _d-did_!"

Kurt's eyes widened at this statement, his heart breaking further as he heard Blaine's tone and registered the words. _Of course he's blaming himself_, he thought. "Shh," the older boy mumbled to the top of his friend's head, "honey, it's going to be fine."

"No!" Blaine shouted, pausing momentarily to sniff and fight back against the tears. "It's _not_. He _hates _me!" He shoved his body away from Kurt's to make eye contact with him. "I don't know what I d-did," he blubbered, "but I _hurt_ him and now he's g-_gone_!"

Kurt raised an eyebrow at the last part, looking down. He knew he should have been comforting him, but his curiosity got the best of him. "Blaine… who's gone?"

Breaking eye contact, Blaine hesitated. Kurt watched him carefully as he bit his lip, then looked back up at him with red-rimmed eyes.

"Jesse."

Kurt had about a thousand questions that Blaine's answer had inspired, but when the boy curled back into him again, he neverminded them. He knew now wasn't the time to prod and pester and he wrapped his arms around Blaine again, let him cry. Though, somehow he knew, as his blood ran hot through his veins, that this was not Blaine's fault, despite his friend's conviction; as Blaine sobbed endlessly into his chest, Kurt frowned angrily.

Jesse was going to have to pay.

—xx—

Sam Evans gaped at the sight of his room, which was, for lack of a better word, completely trashed. This wasn't entirely uncommon in his dorm. The part that had his breath caught uncomfortably in his throat was the fact that it was _Jesse's _side of the room that was demolished.

If that was a good enough word for it.

His things were thrown about, every book on the floor as if they had been hurled there, his bedside lamp lay completely destroyed on the floor, his bed covers stripped from his bed. In fact, it was the first time that Sam's side of the room had looked cleaner than Jesse's. Sam just stood in the doorway, unsure of how to react to what he was seeing. It was obvious that the state of the room was some act of anger or other extreme emotion. He knew Jesse lived angry, but he had always likened him to more of a quiet, distant thunderstorm; most certainly not whatever furious tornado that had whipped through the room—he had never seen, couldn't even imagine his calm, collected best friend in such a state.

Still, he walked in, set his things on his bed. He didn't know where his roommate was, but he wasn't sure if he should be worried or scared for when he returned. He picked up his phone and sent a text to Kurt: _umm did blaine say sumthing happened 2 jesse?_

He held the phone in his hand for a long two minutes. When he didn't get a response, he chalked it up to Kurt being away from his phone and decided to just call Jesse and find out what the hell was wrong. His finger was hovering over the 'call' button when his door slammed open with enough force to shudder the walls and knock several of Sam's textbooks flying. Sam dropped his phone at the expression on Jesse's face. Livid didn't even begin to cover it. It was as if someone had removed all emotion from his dark, empty eyes and replaced it with sheer despair.

Despair that was quickly drained from his expression, superseded by seething_ rage_ when he made eye contact with Sam.

"You. _You_." He strode across the room, yanking the junior up by his tie and onto his feet. He balled his collar in each of hands and glared deep into his eyes. "This is all _your _fucking fault."

Sam threw up his hands in innocence, "Woah, dude. Man, I have no freakin' clue what you're even—"

"Save your _ever endearing_ frat boy syntax for someone who still finds you worthy of friendship, Samuel." He shoved him away, causing the boy to stumble a bit and nearly fall. "You haveroyally_ fucked_ my _entire life_ up, Evans."

"Can you _please_ tell me what the hell is going on, Jesse?" He frowned, beyond confused. "I haven't done anything to you since I left for my date."

"You and your great advice—to be 'direct.'" He spat, still glaring at him. "Why in the _fuck_ did I ever entrust such an important part of my life to someone so obviously_ stupid_?"

Sam processed his statement, then his eyes lit up. "Wait—you told Blaine? Dude, that's great!"

"Are you _mentally challenged, _Samuel?" He laughed bitterly, "Don't—I know the answer already. I was right to keep my feelings undisclosed. I just never knew it would be because of _you_. Were you aware the whole time, Samuel? Did you know, laughing at me, breaking his heart? Moving on to some new, fresh twink because you relish the feeling of hurting people with no remorse?"

"What the _fuck_ are you _talking_ about?" Samuel barked, blood running hot through his veins as he grew tired of Jesse's attacks. "How _dare_ you fucking talk to me like that, Jesse? What the hell have I ever done to you, dude?"

"_Dude_," he mocked. "You only caused me to walk into a trap by confessing my feelings to the person I loved—a person who is undoubtedly in love with someone else." When Sam's face showed no sign of understanding, he scowled and spat, "_You_. Very funny, Samuel. You tricked me."

Sam's eyes widened in realization. "Oh… _oh_," he stepped in to put a comforting hand on Jesse's shoulder, which the older boy promptly swatted away. "Jesse, you gotta believe me—I had no idea. I would have never pushed it so hard if I knew. Jesse—god—I'm so fucking sorry, man."

"Everyone's so _fucking_ sorry." He growled, fists balled at his sides, "What the _fuck_ does sorry do for me when the boy I love not only loves _you_, but thinks I'm some sort of sexual predator who preys on friends who have recently had their hearts broken? What the _fuck_ does sorry do for me when you get to be happy and I'm miserable?"

Sam stuttered, unable to respond. When Jesse saw that he had nothing more to offer, no apology, no way to fix what was now ruined, he felt his heart pang, sending a fresh rush of rage through his bloodstream. The anger bubbled in his throat and clouded his judgment; before he knew what he was doing, he was clenching his fists so tight that his nails were drawing blood and cocking an arm back.

And then he punched Samuel Evans right in the face.

—xx—

_**A/N:**__ Let me first apologize for the tardiness of this update. I've actually had this chapter done for a while but it just wasn't really up to my standards and I've been needing to fix and edit it but just couldn't find the inspiration. Plus, this summer has kicked my ass with work and such, so I'm glad I could finally get this out there. Hopefully the next update won't take as long, haha. _

_ It's a little bit short but I hope that it was enjoyable. Thanks for sticking around!_

_ maria_


	14. Chapter 14

_Chapter 14_

—xx—

Blaine swam up into consciousness, his eyes stinging from the sunlight peeking in through the blinds. Suddenly, he was aware of a splitting headache and, subsequently, the night before. Kurt's arms were secured tightly around his chest and he could hear his soft breathing as he snoozed against his neck. The younger boy sighed and recalled the events from the previous evening, wondering where Jesse was, what he had done when he'd left. He had never seen that look in his friend's eye. Sure, the senior was often disgruntled, but he was never livid. What's worse, the fire of hate in his eye had been completely directed at _him_. Blaine knew that Jesse had always been careful around him as if his feelings were a fragile thing. The older boy had been a good friend to him, caring for him and putting him back together when his parents hadn't given a damn—just shoved him off into some faraway private school.

But now his support system was gone. Racking his brain, Blaine tried to understand what, exactly, he had done to make Jesse _so_ mad. One moment he had been comfortable in Jesse's arms, crying over someone else, and the next, Jesse had him up against the wall, kissing him for some unbeknownst reason.

_Why_ had he done that?

Before Blaine could even register what had happened, he had felt a deep-seated anger rise in him, shoving Jesse away. He just couldn't fathom how Jesse could have possibly thought that that would fix things, that kissing him would distract him or that Blaine would have just shrugged and went along with him because he was sad.

But, no, Jesse had denied that. More than anything, the older boy had worn hurt like a second skin, before giving into his rage. If that hadn't been the reason for the sudden kiss, though, what was it? It couldn't truly be the reason that his friend had given him… Surely that had been some defense mechanism, some way to make Blaine feel equally hurt for being denied that kiss. He knew his friend could be quick to insult, knowing how to hurt someone in a very specialized way, despite the fact that he'd never used such a skill on him. Maybe he'd thought that Blaine would truly feel the pain of being accused of hurting someone close to them if he'd factored emotions into it.

Because there was just no way that Jesse St. James was in love with him.

Kurt roused next to him, mumbling something incoherent. In his deep concentration, Blaine had nearly forgotten that his friend had been there beside him. The older boy's arms slipped away from him and he sat up, making eye contact with him.

"Hey," Kurt murmured, "you doing okay?"

Blaine remained silent for a moment in the realization that he didn't know. Finally, he offered, "I… I'm confused." Kurt's eyes narrowed and he merely waited for his friend to gather his bearings and continue. "I would be able to handle this somehow if I understood why Jesse got_ so_ angry."

Kurt sat up completely and crossed his legs on the bed, "Well, I don't know Jesse that well, but maybe if you tell me what happened, I could help." He watched as Blaine mimicked the movement. "I mean, if that's alright."

Blaine shrugged and then relayed the story to his friend, doing his best to leave out the part where he was still in love with Sam Evans. "I told him that I'm in love with someone…" he frowned, "…someone I can't have. And he just sat there, comforting me like he always does, like he's always done for me. But then he made that face at me, like something was wrong…" Blaine's face screwed up in confusion, "and he, for whatever reason, kissed me. I don't know what he was thinking; and when I got mad, his explanation…" Blaine trailed off, staring off as if trying to find some reasoning, then corrected, "his defense… he _lied_ and said he _loved_ me."

The younger boy looked up to see his friend completely gaping at him, eyes wide. "B-Blaine… are you_ serious?_"

"Exactly! Why would he say that? Why would he lie and think that would fix everything? Does he think that because I can't have S—I mean, someone else, that he can just fix it by taking advantage of me? I'm just _so confused_," Blaine huffed, "Jesse has never been this inconsiderate to me before. He's always been very _careful_ and I just don't get why he'd hurt me like this! He looked pissed… and thinking about it makes me even _more _confused. _I'm_ the one that should be upset!"

Kurt just stared incredulously. When his friend remained silent, Blaine let out a groan of frustration. His emotions were doing about eight different things at once, unable to decide if he was confused or sad or angry with Jesse. "Blaine," Kurt spoke slowly, carefully, almost as if he, too, didn't understand. "Honey, do you really not see it?" The blank stare on Blaine's face was more than enough answer for Kurt. "Good lord, Blaine. You really _are_ completely oblivious. Jesse _wasn't_ lying! How haven't you noticed?" He looked deep into Blaine's eyes, trying to understand. "Blaine, _everyone_ knows."

The younger boy just stared, still unconvinced. "No. There's just no way."

"_Why?_" Kurt implored. "Look at the way he treats you, Blaine! Look at the things he does for you and compare them to the way he acts around _everyone_ else. Blaine, Jesse is so obviously in love with you—why is that so impossible for you to see?"

"Because… Because he's _Jesse_ and I'm _me_!"

A thick blanket of silence fell upon them as each boy let the sentence Blaine just blurted out hang in the air, staring at each other as they _both_ let the words sink in. Blaine's eyes went wide with realization, as he realized that he had indeed spoke such vague words without thinking, just as Kurt opened his mouth to speak.

"Blaine… what does that mean?" He cocked his head, speaking softly and carefully through the tension, "What do _you_ mean?"

"I mean…" He breathed, averting eye contact, "I mean, well, you've seen Jesse. He's just so… _confident_, and he's got every right to be. He's good at practically everything, and not just a little bit. I mean he kicks _ass_ at every single thing he puts his mind to! How could a guy so sure of himself not just walk up and _say_ he likes someone… especially a guy like me! I mean, Jesse could easily have any guy at Dalton—just the fact alone that he _doesn't_ and he's _alone_ gives me even more reason not to believe it! He's so above everything and everyone. If he wanted to be with me then he'd just say so, classic Jesse-style, and not take no for an answer. But, he doesn't, and why should he? If Jesse truly wanted me, he would have made his move a year ago when we met. But, he didn't—and he definitely won't now that he knows all my secrets, knows everything about me. Any part of him that _might _have had feelings for me is definitely not there anymore now that he knows how messed up I am."

Kurt's eyebrows, which now seemed determined to become a permanent part of his hairline, arched impossibly, his mouth slightly agape. "Jesus, Blaine." He started incredulously. "Self-depreciating much? Cut yourself some damn slack, buddy! Blaine, you're _first lead_ in the Warblers. How is that not enough proof that you're special?" From the look on his friend's face, Kurt knew that all the encouraging in the world wasn't going to change Blaine's mind. "Listen. I can talk your ear off about what a stud you are, but I can see that it's not going to make much difference. So, I need you to do something, Blaine."

The younger boy quirked an eyebrow, "And what's that?"

"I want you to just think about everything you know about Jesse. Think about the things he's done and who he is, and, for God's sake, _stop_ tearing yourself down for a second!" Kurt chuckled, uncrossing his legs and kneeling to put a hand on each of Blaine's shoulders. "You're _my_ best friend, so clearly that means you're _fabulous_," Kurt trilled, "so stop embarrassing yourself!"

Blaine chuckled softly. "Okay, okay. But, honestly," the boy frowned, "I have no idea what to think about this. I mean, what _if_ it's true? What does that mean?"

Climbing out of Blaine's bed, Kurt shrugged. "I can't tell you that, Blaine. That's why I'm telling you to _think_ about it. And don't worry about anyone else, okay?" The boy strode across the room, shedding his crumpled clothes from the night before and grabbing his robe. "I know Jesse freaked, but I'm sure Sam managed to calm him down when he got home."

Blaine's eyes went wide. "Oh, shit," he mumbled. "I… didn't think about that."

The older boy turned around and leveled Blaine with a questioning stare. "Think about… what?"

"Well… don't freak out," Blaine gulped, "and I can't stress that enough, but… Sam is the guy that I told Jesse I'm in love with."

—xx—

Pain.

That was the first thing he was aware of, before he even opened his eyes. Throbbing, searing pain, pounding through his skull like every hangover he had ever experienced combined. Samuel cracked his eyes open, causing the resulting fresh agony to elicit a low groan from his lips. Raising his hand to the source of the ache, he discovered that it wasn't his forehead, but below his right eye that was its cause. Finally forcing his lids completely open, Sam fought the sting that the sunlight pouring in was causing and studied his surroundings. The first thing he realized was that he had spent the night on the floor, slumped against the side of his bed, closely followed by the fact that his room looked like it had been hit by a tornado.

And then the previous evening came flooding back to him.

Gathering his bearings, Sam pushed himself off the ground and onto his bed, where he began to piece together the events. After his date with Kurt, Jesse had shouted at him about Blaine turning him down, then punched him. Evidently, Jesse had left him where he lay, allowing him to pass out; and from the state of Jesse's side of the room, the senior had apparently gathered some of his things and promptly left. As far as where he went, Sam hadn't the slightest clue.

"Well," Sam mumbled to himself, frowning, "this is a fucking mess."

Gingerly touching what he could only assume was a black eye, Sam groaned loudly and fell back into his comforter. It was Saturday, so Jesse's sudden disappearance wouldn't affect his classes, but they had Warbler rehearsal at five and the council didn't look too fondly on unnecessary absenteeism. He couldn't imagine that Jesse would answer or return any of his phone calls after the way he acted the previous evening, but he needed to talk him down. The problem happened to be that Sam had simply never seen his friend that way, never seen him so livid and seething. And while his anger was misplaced and somewhat unnecessary, Sam knew that this was serious, that Jesse wasn't just going to let this go. Jesse most probably felt wholly justified in punching Sam and all the things he said to him. Not to mention that he was the person Jesse was angriest with, which would definitely complicate trying to calm him down.

And he didn't even know where Jesse was.

With a sigh, he sat back up, beginning to piece together the events and trying to make an educated guess on where his best friend had angrily stormed off to. He knew that his parents were doing that thing where they vacation for two months, so Sam guessed that he probably packed up his things and went home. It was the most obvious place he'd have gone to. That part was easy. The difficult part was trying to figure out how to go about talking to him. If he knocked on Jesse's front door, he was about a thousand percent sure that his best friend would slam it right in his face. Or shout at him. Or punch him in the other eye. None of which were very appealing. Usually it was so easy to talk to Jesse. Sam was always speaking from a very objective point of view, so he had no trouble telling his best friend when he was being a dramatic idiot. However' from the point of view of the person who was essentially the root of all of Jesse's problems, telling him to stop being a drama queen might prove to be rather counter productive.

A couple of short knocks jarred Sam from his train of thought and his eyes trailed to the source of the sound. Had Jesse already come to his senses and come back? Just the though alone caused Sam to chuckle softly. Besides the fact that it was absurd for Jesse to be knocking on his own dorm door, Jesse rarely blew off steam that quickly under _normal_ conditions—of which these were definitely not.

The knocks came again, so Sam pushed himself from the bed and went to answer the door. Kurt Hummel stood on the other side, face obvious with stress, until it fell at the sight of Sam. He quickly pushed into Sam's room without a word and onto his bed.

"Sam!" He looked down from where he was standing over him, "Holy crap, what happened to you?" He carefully ran a thumb over Sam's bruise, causing him to wince slightly. "Who the hell did this to you? God, it looks—"

"That bad, huh?" He stood up with a smile, walking past Kurt to look in the mirror on his wall. He grimaced and turned back around, "Jeez, Jesse did a hell of a number. Didn't think the dude—"

"_Jesse did this?!" _Kurt shrieked, causing Sam to jump. "Christ, that idiot really has it coming now. I'm not about to allow him to hurtyou _and_ Blaine!"

Sam cocked an eyebrow, trying to ignore the stab of pain under his eye when he did so. "What did he do to Blaine, exactly?" Speaking slowly, carefully, Sam's tone had a sudden edge. "He didn't hit him, did he?"

"Oh, god, no," Kurt's hands flew up, "No, not at all." With a sigh, Kurt collapsed onto Sam's bed, back first, "He was just an absolute _mess_ when I got home last night. A sobbing, crying, emotional _mess_. And I've just never seen him like that." He looked over at Sam from where he lay, "How could Jesse do that to someone he loves? Is he really that awful?"

Sam pursed his lips and sat down next to Kurt, "Nah. Jesse's a good guy. He just got emotionally smacked in the face. I probably wouldn't have dealt with something crazy like that too good, either." He grinned, "Probably wouldn't have punched anyone in the face, but Jesse and I are different that way, I guess."

"How can you make excuses for him, Samuel?!" Kurt sat up, quirking an eyebrow, "He _punched _you in the _face_!"

"I'm not making excuses, Kurt," Sam stated flatly, simply. "I just know him and he _is_ my best friend. He's not a bad guy. He's just hurt—really hurt. All I care about right now is finding him and smacking some sense into him." With a chuckle, Sam stood up, "Not literally, obviously. That probably won't help."

"Find him? Where even is he?" Kurt looked up from the bed.

With a long sigh, Sam strode over to Jesse's side of the room, fiddling with something on his desk. "I dunno for sure. I'm guessing he ditched outta here and went home since his 'rents aren't around. I guess I'll start there."

"Well, if you're going to talk to him, I'm coming with you," Kurt stated matter-of-factly, standing up. "Whether he wants it or not, he's getting a fricking piece of my mind. No one hurts Blaine like that and just gets away with it. Besides," Kurt smiled, "I think you're right about Blaine, anyway."

Sam just looked at Kurt confusedly in response.

"I don't know for sure, but it seems like he's got feelings, too. I just don't think he knows it because of the thing with you, and because he seems to have put Jesse on this insane pedestal." Kurt scoffed, "Which is just about the most idiotic thing I've ever heard."

"So, you know about all that shit with Blaine, then. Good, I didn't feel like going through all the awkwardness of explaining it." Sam chuckled and shrugged, "I guess it can't hurt? I'm pretty sure the moment Jesse sees me, he's gonna give me another black eye to match this one."

"Well, then I'm definitely going," Kurt started, striding past Sam without waiting for him to follow. "I'm an unbiased source—and I'll make him listen. I'm driving. Let's go."

—xx—

_**A/N: **__The semester's started and I'm not sure how often I'll be able to update, but I'll sure try to make it often!_

_ maria_


	15. Chapter 15

_Chapter 15_

—xx—

Kurt gaped at the St. James estate as he pulled into its long, winding driveway. He looked over at Sam to share in the shock, but he looked unfazed by it. Instead, he met Kurt's stare with a tilt of his head. "What?'

"Is this place for real?" He looked back up at the house, hardly paying attention to how he parked in his awe. "Do people really live in houses like this?"

Sam chuckled. "People that go to Dalton sure seem to. My place looks a lot like this, too." He averted his eyes in thought. "I dunno what Blaine's house looks like, now that I think about it. Judging by his clothes it's probably not too far off."

Kurt just continued to stare even as he exited his Navigator, seemingly unable to speak in the literal shadow of Jesse's house. Sam just laughed at his silence, but then winced at the pain it brought from his bruised eye. Kurt caught sight of this and was effectively distracted, immediately at Sam's side in worry.

"It's fine, it's fine," he said in anticipation of the questions he was sure Kurt would ask. "Let's focus on one problem at a time," he laughed. "I have no idea what we're about to be up against, if I'm being real with you."

Kurt sucked in a breath and began determinedly towards the front walk. "I haven't let Jesse St. James intimidate me yet. Not about to start now. He's gotta learn that there are consequences for his actions, no matter what the circumstances."

Sam trailed him without a word, knowing that trying to defend Jesse again would probably just encourage him further. However, when Kurt walked up the front steps and raised a fist to knock, Sam caught his wrist before he could.

"What?"

"Look," Sam said slowly. "We gotta do this carefully, Kurt. I said we don't know what we're up against—I meant it. I saw Jesse last night; you didn't see how crazy he was. I'll let you talk to him, I mean it." He walked to the door and turned over his shoulder, "But let's be careful. Let me handle getting us in the house first."

Kurt nodded silently and watched as Sam pressed a couple of buttons on the black panel just above the doorbell. Kurt waited curiously, Sam tapping his fingers against the doorframe until the speaker crackled and a woman's voice came through, shrouded in static.

"St. James residence."

"Hey, Sarah, it's Sam." He smiled at the intercom as if she could somehow see him. "Jesse asked me over, forgot some stuff in the room. Mind letting me in?"

"Oh, Samuel!" Her stuffy tone crescendoed in excitement. "Yes, of course. Jesse has been in his room since he got home. I'm afraid he's in one of his moods. Maybe you'll be able to cheer him up as you always have?"

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that!" Kurt gave the back of Sam's head an amused smirk. "I'm sure I will."

"Well, let me come let you in. I'll be there in just a sec!" The intercom screeched just a bit before cutting out, and then Sam turned to give Kurt a boastful look.

"Okay, okay," Kurt put up his hands in defeat. "You were right. You're very skilled in all things Jesse."

"You learn a thing or two living with a psychopath," he joked, trying not to laugh for sake of his eye. Kurt still gave him a sympathetic look, but before Sam could reassure him once again that he wasn't in pain, the door clicked and flew open. A thin woman wearing jeans and a t-shirt and a tight, high ponytail answered the door with a cheery smile.

Sam reciprocated her smile and moved through the door to give her a hug. "It's good to see you again," he pulled away. "Been wanting to make it back for some of your awesome cooking, but Jesse doesn't ever want to go home. Or anywhere, really."

"Yes," she chuckled, "well he does like his own company, doesn't he?" Kurt laughed at this one, earning her attention. "And who is this, Sam?"

"Boyfriend," he said very matter-of-factly. "Kurt Hummel, this is Sarah. She works for Jesse's family."

Kurt whistled, stepping forward to greet her. "Some job keeping this castle clean."

The woman laughed, "Yes, well, I assure you it isn't without its rewards. It's nice to meet you, Kurt. Hope you treat this one right," she pinched his cheek, causing her to finally notice his eye. "What is this?"

"Lacrosse accident, never you mind." He answered quickly. "And don't worry about Kurt. He's great."

"Good," she grinned, bruise forgotten. "Well, go on and head up there. Please wipe that scowl off his face. I swear, Jesse can't go a whole minute with a smile on his face."

"I'll do my best, ma'am." He grinned, nodding at her as they walked past.

Kurt trailed after him, calling back, "It was nice to meet you!" He rushed to catch up with Sam. If he got lost in the halls of Dalton with the aid of numbered rooms, he would surely lose his way in this house; he had to be careful to keep close to Sam.

Suddenly, he remembered something from the conversation before. "Boyfriend?"

Sam stopped abruptly, wheeling on his heels to meet Kurt's gaze. "I'm sorry," his voice waivered. "I just thought—"

Kurt interrupted him by kissing him on the cheek. When he pulled back, Sam raised a hand to his cheek in confusion. "Very good, Samuel."

"So," Sam said carefully, "that's okay?"

"Like you said, one problem at a time," Kurt smiled. "Let's discuss this later when there's not impending danger down the hall. Though, the dramatics _are _tempting."

Sam chuckled and grabbed his hand to help lead the way. "Yeah, I'm not gonna lie. Definitely a little scared of what we're walking into."

"Your eye is not very encouraging," Kurt said, half-joking. "But, we've got two people who we're worried about. This is for them, right?"

Sam nodded, stopping them in front of the door. Kurt held back the dry laughter in his throat; this was clearly Jesse's room, judging from the laminated note above the door handle that read 'don't even think about it.'

"Do we knock?" Kurt whispered, suddenly aware that he, too, was anxious.

Sam stared at the doorknob, unsure. Both barging in and rapping on the door seemed like idiotic ideas given the previous evening's events. He pursed his lips and then grabbed the handle suddenly, a little surprised when it gave and the door flew open, unlocked.

In typical melodramatic fashion, the blinds were closed and curtains pulled, and all of the lights were off. The room was almost completely dark, save for one lamp in the corner of the room, where Jesse sat at a table, back to them.

"Sarah, I told you to leave me alone." He wheeled around, "I'm not hungry—" Jesse's face, illuminated by the single lamp and the light leaking in from the hallway, looked absolutely terrifying. His eyes moved between Kurt and Sam several times before he stood, walking over towards them. "What could the two of you _possibly_ think would come of coming here?"

Sam recoiled just a bit, but Kurt took a brave step towards Jesse. "Look, Jesse. We're just here to talk." Sam watched him, impressed that he chose any route other than attacking him with his claws out. "We want to help."

Jesse laughed, the sound gravely from the back of his throat. "Of course you do. The happy couple wants to come spread their joy all over my misery and 'help.'" He didn't move from out of their way, blocking their entrance into his room. "Well, I don't want it. So, you can save all of the ill-qualified psycho-babble that you've surely compiled on the way here, turn around, and get the hell out of my house."

"No, we won't, Jesse." Sam finally spoke, "We're going to set this right, and you're going to come back to school. You're not gonna miss a rehearsal and lose your solo. As your friend, I'm not about to let that happen."

Jesse scoffed, giving Sam a condescending once over. "As my 'friend,' you say? Now there's a joke." He stepped close to him, invading Sam's personal space. Jesse's voice began to rise. "It seems rather evident that the reason you two have decided to intrude into my home is so your lady-faced boyfriend can watch me give you another black eye to match the one you've already got."

Sam growled, clenching his fists as he stared back into Jesse's fiery eyes. Huffing indignantly, Kurt stepped between them to push them apart. "Enough! Can the two of you quit acting like_ boys_ and be_ men_ for a fricking second?"

Tension somewhat diffused, Sam heaved a breath and nodded while Jesse merely shrugged and turned to walk back into his room. Tentatively, the two boys in the doorway took it as an invitation to follow. Sam flipped the switch as he walked in, flooding the room with light. From where Jesse sat on his bed, he followed them with his eyes without a word as they moved nervously into the room. An uncomfortable silence settled between them. With each passing moment, Jesse seemed to grow visibly irritated with the fact that no one was talking.

"If you only plan to take up space in my room and force me to look at you, you can leave." Jesse's voice was low, but his words had a razor edge. "The sight of you two is nauseating and your swollen eye only reminds me of the exact reason why you've got it."

Kurt sighed, trying to keep from reacting to Jesse's words exactly how he was sure he intended him to. "Okay. We're going to talk about this like mature people who don't go around punching people. Jesse, you're obviously angry; that's understandable. But this isn't Sam's fault." He narrowed a gaze at Jesse. "I think you know that."

Jesse furrowed his brows in annoyance, but when he opened his mouth with intended malice, Sam interrupted him. "Just listen to him, dammit," he said sternly. "Quit being so proud for once."

Kurt slowly closed his eyes in anticipation of another confrontation he would surely have to split up. However, Jesse's voice came still annoyed but somewhat softer. "Fine. I will listen to you. But if I listen and I don't care for what you've to say, which I surely won't, then when you are finished you'll leave me the hell alone."

Sam and Kurt shared a fairly victorious look. Progress. Looking back to Jesse and nodding, Kurt continued. "Okay," he breathed out audibly. "Well, I talked to Blaine."

This caught Jesse's attention; his face hardened, but his appeared eyes wistful just before they looked away. "Oh?"

"Yes, Jesse." Kurt chanced a couple of steps towards him. "He's pretty messed up. And confused. He really doesn't get what's going on here—what all of us can plainly see." Jesse reclaimed eye contact with Kurt curiously. "He doesn't—" Kurt pursed his lips as he carefully chose his words, "Blaine seems to think that you can't love him because he believes he's not good enough."

Jesse quirked a brow, then looked to Samuel. Still rather testy, he just shrugged in response. Glancing back, Jesse asked, "What, exactly, are you implying?"

"I'm not _implying_ anything, Jesse. He told me exactly that he doesn't think that what you said to him was true, that it was some sort of excuse you made up. He holds you up so high that he doesn't think you could possibly love him. Blaine _told me that_; and no matter how I tried to convince him otherwise, he just wouldn't listen."

Jesse fell silent for a long moment, breaking eye contact to gaze out the window in thought. Kurt glanced over at Sam questioningly, but the blond just shrugged. "I don't understand," Jesse said suddenly, not looking over. "Why would he think that?"

Head filling with at least a dozen critical reasons why he didn't understand it either, Kurt's face screwed up in a condescending glare. Just before he spoke, Sam cut him off at the sight of it by placing a hand on his chest. Kurt gave him a look but stayed quiet.

"Look, Jesse," Sam's voice came quietly and soft. "You," he breathed in slowly, "you didn't know Blaine before he came to Dalton, alright? He was different when I first met him. I know he was quiet and stuff when he transferred, but you probably wrote that off to the accident, thought that he went back to whatever he was before when you helped him." Jesse met Sam's gaze, confused at the implication. "But, I mean, that's how Blaine is. Was. He might be upbeat and more confident now—thanks to you, I know that—but Blaine was always insecure. I'm sure he still is. And why the hell wouldn't he be?

"I don't think all of this has as much to do with him thinking you're so great as it does with him thinking he _isn't_." Sam put up his hands defensively, "No offense meant, dude. But look at Blaine. Look at his life and all the stuff that's happened to him. No one's really ever made him feel great about himself." In sudden realization, Sam's shoulders slumped forward and he lowered his gaze. "Yeah, I guess that includes me."

Kurt looked over from watching Sam talk to gauge Jesse's reaction. He didn't appear to be as angry, more confused by the sudden onslaught of information.

"I mean, his parents didn't even care when it happened, man. My dad, big Christian country boy from Tennessee, he lost his damn mind when we were jumped, but Blaine's dad just kept quiet. His mom went out of town and his dad wasn't going to do anything, he was just gonna keep him at that stupid school. When he heard I was coming here, it only made him wanna do it more, wanted to keep us apart. He thought that if he cut me outta the picture that the attacks would stop. Blaine must've just worn him down, he must've just gotten annoyed enough and sent him here when he thought it might help him get into a school or something. Blaine's parents, they didn't care. No one really cared. There was me, yeah, but I was so freaked that I just shut him out to deal with my own stuff. Thank god for you, Jesse."

Both Jesse and Kurt's eyes widened in shock, looking at Sam as he kept his eyes on his shoes. Jesse tried to comprehend all of these details; Blaine had never talked about his family to him. All that he knew was merely inferred from the other stories he told him.

"So," Sam's voice cracked. "So, I guess you do have a pretty good reason for being mad at me. I was pretty stupid and careless with him, and I guess all of this is my fault. I mean, I made all of these decisions and ended things, and I just sort of expected him to go along with it and get over it. I was so stupid. He was the last person that deserved that, and I was so stupid."

"Samuel, stop," Jesse said suddenly while Kurt was still figuring out what to possibly say to console him. "That whole situation, all of it, it was difficult. You dealt with it how you saw fit, and even I can't blame you for it. Blaine had me, and I helped him. The only person acting foolishly here is me. I got angry at people who really didn't do much wrong."

Sam finally looked up, making eye contact with Jesse to judge the strange compassion in his words. He appeared completely genuine, and Sam's shoulders relaxed slightly. "Yeah, Blaine had you. Jesse, you're the only one who hasn't ever let him down—you know that? I mean, all of the people he's always cared about, his family and his friends and even the damn unhelpful teachers at that school, none of them stepped up and did what they should have. But you always do, Jesse."

Silence settled upon them after this long-winded compassion. Kurt spoke softly, "That's probably why."

Jesse quirked an eyebrow at him, "'That's probably why' what, Hummel?"

Kurt hesitated in making eye contact, lost in thought. "I mean," he finally looked over, "all of these other people, he has such low expectations. Until yesterday—he even told me this—but, until yesterday, you were always so careful with him. And then you weren't. He's probably just setting himself up for failure." Kurt paused for a moment, looking over at Sam, then back to Jesse. "He's confused because he's always thought of you as this person that can't falter, and that loving him must be some sort of fault."

"Since there's always been someone or something more important to those who did or were supposed to," Sam added in a barely audible murmur.

"I," Jesse bit his lip. "I didn't know any of this. He never said a word. In fact," he looked up at Sam, "he never even talked about you, Samuel."

The two boys across from him shrugged.

"Look," he stood from the bed, walking towards them. "I'm, well, I'm sorry, Samuel. I have never felt so angry nor out of control like that before. I shouldn't have hit you."

"No, you shouldn't have." Sam grinned, causing Jesse to mimic him. "You were a freaking idiot. But I'm your best friend, so I guess I'm kinda obligated to take your apology. I've put up with your crap till now, might as well keep a perfect record, huh?"

"Shut up."

"You are so darling and lovable."

"Aww," Kurt interjected, tilting his head mockingly. "Now hug it out, you two."

"Never."

"Nope."

"That's absolutely never happening."

"Forget about it, Kurt."

Kurt sighed in defeat. "That's good enough, as far as your friendship goes I suppose."

Sam shoved his hands in his pockets, wheeling away from Jesse after accepting that their friendship was effectively mended. "So, can we go back now? All of this dramatic crap has made me hungry."

"Yes, of course, Samuel." Jesse grabbed the duffel bag by his bed, zipping it and hauling it over one shoulder. "I'm sure it must be exhausting for you to say so many words without having to reference a dictionary."

"On second thought, you can stay." Sam frowned as Jesse fell into step behind him. "I forgot that you don't ever have a nice mode."

Jesse just nudged him in the shoulder and they exited the room, heading down the stairs with Kurt trailing behind them. Watching them interact just made him more confused about their friendship until he simply decided that some things were beyond reason or logic.

—**xx—**

_**A/N:**__ As it turns out, the older you get, the harder life gets. I apologize for the lack of update. Last semester sucked—this one sucks more. In my effort to graduate, I'll admit that fanfiction has fallen far on my list of priorities. However! I am still writing, still have some sort of ending planned for this (not totally sure of it but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it). Not sure when the next opportunity will come to me where I can write, but don't give up hope! If there are any of you left out there, that is. Which I hope there are. Please. _

_maria_


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